#and she still managed to make more shots by herself than rain ever did like come on. rains only good moment was the zeroG acid blood

[vaingod]

the auto aim pulse rifle that they give to our supposedly bad ass female lead in Alien Romulus is the biggest misogyny ive seen executed in a modern horror literally how was that scene supposed to be seen as cool?? she cant aim for shit!!! she doesnt have any gun skills somehow?? and her girlboss scene was just holding a pulse rifle with no detection software that was just moded to auto aim by her just pointing it in the general direction of the alien. come on

[portraitofalinkonfyre]

Deal With The Devil

Chapter 2: Hunter

Pairing: Fae!Hyrule x Reader

Warning(s): Eventual smut and some yandere themes

Notes: This was supposed to be posted next week but I got impatient lol

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"Fae troubles, eh?"

Your customer, a tall, heavy-set woman who looked like she could snap your back over her knee without breaking a sweat, asked as you plucked the last health elixir from the recesses of your stall, the glass cool against your fingers.

Your gaze flicked to meet hers, and you huffed, giving the nearby stalls, where you knew the worst of the gossip resided, a tired look. "I wouldn't believe everything I hear in the market, ma'am," you said, handing her the potion. Her skin was cold when it brushed against yours.

The woman, who had introduced herself as Raela, scoffed, tossing several shiny rupees onto the table. They glimmered against the tough wood, and you lamented why you even bothered correcting people anymore. "So I've heard," she let out a low grumble that didn't reach her eyes, which looked more like the sharp edge of a sword than anything. "But the women in the tavern are..."

"Convincing?" you finished with a dull look.

Raela's smile was all teeth. "Right."

You were just about to duck behind the stall when she cleared her throat. "I don't suppose you'd be able to point me to the blacksmith?"

With a sigh, you did just that, tastefully ignoring the heavy steel chains hanging from her pack.

In Hyrule, when it rains, it pours.

You had long since returned home when brewing clouds blotted out the sun and gusts of wind kicked up, carrying a particularly biting chill through the air. The mug was warm against your palms, filled to the brim with fresh-brewed tea, as you gazed out of the window, absentmindedly watching droplets patter against the frosted glass.

There was a terrible crack of thunder, louder than you'd ever heard, and the cottage shook, creaking softly as it was rattled to the very foundations. You jolted in surprise when a burst of lightning illuminated the darkened sky, nearly spilling your tea in your haste to sit on the couch, a thick, scratchy blanket wrapped tightly around your shoulders. Storms were okay, but you were never able to shake the uneasiness that their arrival heralded.

It was going to be a long night, you were sure.

Until you heard it.

A screech, unlike any animal you'd heard, broke through the air like a cannon, so piercing that you feared your ears would begin bleeding from the sound alone. You shot up from the couch, hissing when a bit of tea splashed onto your fingers. Nearly stiff with shock, you all but threw the cup down and bolted for the backyard, where the noise had come from. Another scream had you flinging the door open, uncaring of the storm raging just outside.

It was dark out, but you still managed to make out the shape of something at the edge of the forest. Something Hylian. A bolt of lightning illuminated the area once more, and you gasped at the sight of a man standing–well, he looked more like he was leaning–at the tree line, one hand clutched over his clothed stomach, the fabric glimmering a shade of crimson. Your heart dropped, then lept into your throat as you called. "Hey!"

The man's head snapped up. You couldn't make out his features through the pouring rain, but you didn't need to. Steeling yourself, you dashed outside, slowing to a stop when a low growl rumbled louder than the storm, throwing your hands up. "Hey– it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you!" you called over the thunder, but it fell on deaf ears.

Another snarl ripped through the air. The man lurched forward, falling on his knees in the mud. You stepped closer, ignoring the way your soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to your body, chilled with freezing rain. It was then that you noticed the shine of his eyes; a pure, honey-colored gold that shone firebright against the whites of his eyes. Though horrifically injured, he was on his knees in an instant, expression pulled tight with rage and... was that fear?

"Let me help," you coaxed over the cacophony, voice wavering in a way that made you cringe. The man hissed in what you could only assume was pain, clutching his stomach tighter, and you didn't miss the way crimson blood dripped down his hand in a steady, worrying stream. His lips were pulled back, revealing a set of too-sharp canines. "You're bleeding–"

"Leave!" the man bellowed, though it didn't do much in terms of dissuading your approach when he fell flat on his face the next second, body going limp in the shiny mud.

You stared, frozen, at his unconscious body for a bit longer than necessary, making sure he was well and passed out before you tried anything. Once the initial shock had passed, you were at his side in an instant, maneuvering him onto his back to get a better look at the gash in his stomach, which spanned nearly from his hip to where you assumed his bottom-most rib would be. "Shit," you hissed, using the last vestiges of strength in your body to haul his limp form into your arms. He was lighter than expected, making the dash back into the safety of your house thankfully easier.

Once inside, you kicked the door shut and b-lined for the kitchen, carefully laying him down on the dining table. The first thing you noticed about him was his hair–deep brown, with enough curl that not even the pouring rain had managed to force it flat. His face was flecked with dirt, but it didn't look that out of place when you considered the galaxy of freckles already marking his cheeks and nose.

With your arms free, you went to retrieve the first-aid kit, setting it down by his head after recovering a pair of scissors. There was no way you'd be able to maneuver his tunic off in time, so cutting it would have to be the only option. Raising the scissors, you positioned them at the edge of the forest-green fabric, slicing a long, straight line up to his chest, yanking the garment open as quickly as you could, revealing the true scope of the wound.

Your lips parted in a silent gasp.

The gash was nasty; far too long for comfort, with thick, ragged edges that welled crimson blood, spilling down his rain-soaked sides to stain the table beneath. Some even pooled in his navel, dripping downwards to dye the light dusting of hair a striking–

You grabbed a handful of gauze and pressed it to the wound, ignoring the way his flesh jumped beneath your flesh. A quick glance revealed that the man was still passed out, and you considered it a small mercy, especially since there was no way in Hylia you weren't going to have to stitch him up.

You reached into the kit and pulled out a needle, thread, and some salve.

It was going to be a long night.

Hyrule awoke naked.

Not fully, of course, courtesy of the thin sheet covering his body, but the point still stood. The fae sat up with a soft hiss, the sheet falling to reveal his chest and abdomen, wrapped in thick white bandages. There was an ache in his stomach, but it was dull and he felt far too numb to do anything but study his surroundings, one hand resting protectively over the patched wound.

His gaze roamed the room, taking in the eggshell-colored walls, mismatched end tables, and thick, multicolored rug that covered the oak floor. A painting of a river sat on the wall, and the couch he laid on was a soft shade of plum. It appeared to be a living room, though all his years living in the forest made it a bit hard to distinguish.

A sudden, shrill whistle broke through his reverie.

Hyrule froze; hackles raised, ears pinned tightly against damp curls. His bleary mind recognized it as the sound a teakettle made when it was finished boiling, but he was far more preoccupied with the soft shuffle of feet padding closer. His mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario–one where he would be bound and sold to the highest bidder–and he was on his feet before he could blink, the sheet falling to the floor with a soft thud.

A foot crossed the threshold. "Hey, you're aw– oh my Hylia!"

You. It was you.

Until you yelped, covering your face with one hand while the other held a steaming mug. Hyrule couldn't begin to understand why you looked so embarrassed until he glanced down and... oh. OH.

With a gasp, he practically dove down to grab the sheet, ignoring the painful throb in his abdomen at the action. He deftly wrapped the fabric around his waist, careful to avoid the wound. A steady flush consumed his cheeks, and he struggled to remember the last time he had felt so exposed.

You peeked through your fingers, relaxing slightly.

"I'm so sorry," were the first words out of your mouth. "You were bleeding and I wanted to make sure you didn't have any more injuries–" you cut yourself off with a cough, cheeks losing a bit of their redness. "Do you... want tea?"

Tea? Hyrule's gaze flicked to the mug in your hands, just now registering the sweet smell emanating from it. He hesitated. On one hand, there was no way of telling what was in it–until it was too late, that is–but on the other, this was you. You, who fed and played with his sisters with a grin bright enough to rival the sun. You, who had found him in the rain and patched him up without a second thought. You, who looked at him with a concern that had his heart shuddering in his chest.

Slowly, he nodded, not trusting his words. Your lips curved in a soft smile and you gestured for him to sit on the couch, which he did with little complaint. The fabric was soft and the cushions were warm, though the heat emanating from the mug you handed him dwarfed all.

"Do you remember your name?" you asked softly, making no move to approach him, standing in the middle of the room with your arms folded at your stomach.

His brows furrowed. He took a sip of the tea. It was sweet, with the barest taste of honey. "Yes."

"May I know it?"

"Hyrule," he said instantly, the moniker slipping easily off his tongue. Even though he knew you meant no harm, it would take more than a mug of tea to get the name 'Link' from his lips.

"Hyrule," you repeated, testing it out. If you were at all confused by the fact that he shared the same name as the land itself, you made no comment. "I like it."

You... liked it? He was half-tempted to ask you to repeat that. the last time he had shared his name with someone, they spat it like a curse, like it was the moniker of the devil. Maybe it was. Maybe you didn't care.

He stared at the swirling liquid in the cup, trying and failing to ignore the blooming warmth in his chest. This was not how things were supposed to go. "Thank you."

You shifted your weight, and he tried not to track the swayed movement of your hips. "Are you hungry?" you asked after a beat, expression curious.

His mouth opened and closed. Yes, he was starving, but he doubted even someone as kind as you would go out of their way to make food, especially for him, seeing as he couldn't even begin to stomach Hylian food on the best of days. "No."

You chewed your lip, eyes flicking down to his bandaged stomach. Hyrule had the distinct feeling that you didn't believe him. "You should eat," your tone was soft, non-confrontational. "Your wound is–... it'll help you heal."

"I can't," the words slipped from his mouth before he could stop them. Hyrule clutched the mug close, internally cursing the slip. He had no idea if you knew whether he was fae or not, and even if you did, there was no telling if you would turn him in or--

Your voice tore through the silence, arms folding over your chest. "Can't or won't?"

Hyrule hesitated. He had already admitted it, but it didn't keep the lump in his throat at bay.

"Can't," he all but whispered, unable to meet your eyes.

Silence.

The fae chanced a glance in your direction. You didn't look angry or disappointed, just... contemplative?

"Okay," you spoke slowly, having come to a decision. "But...! If you could, what would you want? Um, hypothetically?"

Hyrule felt the distinct urge to deadpan, though he refrained, taking a large gulp of tea. He kept his gaze trained on you, wondering if it would be enough to get you to let it go. Did he want you to let it go?

You watched him for a few seconds, then sighed, running a hand through your hair. It was then that he noticed the dark, purpling bags beneath your eyes, like you had stayed up all night...

Oh. He suddenly felt a bit bad for being so uncooperative, but you were already gone, leaving him alone in the room. He didn't try calling out, because he had no idea what to say, but the twitching of his hand against the mug said more than a thousand words could.

With a sigh that rivaled yours, he leaned back against the couch, keeping one eye cracked in case you returned.

You didn't, and the silence remained deafening.

Poor Rulie, so distrustful :((((((

[awynter]

“My, my, are you trying to show off, Mister Tallmadge? Color me impressed." She hummed, tilting her head to the side as she pretending to appraise him. "Perhaps it should be you grading me, then. In that case, I’ll make sure to be on my best behavior.”

Her mind returned momentarily to that day in the rain. Anne had not been in the best state of mind, and she doubted Ben had been either. Yet he had still managed to make her feel safe. He swept her up and carried her to safety. He gave her protection from the rain and dry clothes, and a bed to sleep in. He had given her more in one night than George had ever given her and she couldn't imagine how she ever thought it would be possible not to fall in love with him.

“That’s a rather tempting offer. I didn’t quite get a proper look at them last time.” Anne pursed her lips and shot a glance down at their feet. "Though, perhaps we might be better showing off our wares indoors."

His mention of Frances only made the grin on her lips grow wider and she let out a soft chuckle. “I fear we might have. Then again, Frances has always been a smart girl.” She bit her lip, clutching at his lapels so that he may never slip away. “I think she simply saw the truth before we did. I do confess, however, I’m grateful she let the Fairy Princess keep her head in this one. I’ve not always been so lucky in past roles.”

His romantic words made her heart sing and she could practically feel her chest expand beneath the ribbing of her stay, her body fighting to make room for all the love and admiration for him spilling forth. If she could survive on love alone, Anne was certain she'd be immortal. If all she needed to thrive was his admiration, she would never be left wanting for anything. And she wanted desperately to make him feel the same way.

“Shhh…" She pulled him down slightly, whispering against his lips. "You cannot say such things and expect me to not fall harder, Ben.” Pressing a kiss to his mouth, she smiled. Anne was reluctant to pull away, wishing for nothing more than to spend an eternity like this. When she finally managed to break the kiss, she sighed dreamily, eyes fluttering closed and praying to any gods listening that this wasn't a dream she would eventually wake up from. “Your lips taste like poetry. The most romantic prose.”

He cupped her face again and brought his mouth to hers, Anne's own lips chasing his with ardent fervor. She wanted to kiss him until the air in her lungs dissipated, until she had nothing left to offer but the clothes on her back. Her hands rose to his shoulders, bracing herself against the passion of his kiss and she couldn't control the soft moan that left her as his warmth engulfed her.

It was everything she wanted, everything her heart needed. She felt drunk on passion, her hands rising to the ties of her cloak and releasing them with a quick tug. A heat blossomed between her legs as the fabric fluttered to the ground and, with her arms freed from the added resistance, she wrapped them around his neck and pulled him closer.

“Gods,” She muttered, a smile playing on her lips as she playfully pushed him away, only to tug him closer when the distance became too hard to bear. “You’re making it increasingly difficult to remain ladylike, you know. If you keep kissing me like that, you might have no choice but to carry me home. Or simply ravish me here, in the grass.”

"Grading me?" Benjamin echoed, laughing in spite of himself. "I'll have you know, I had excellent marks at Yale -- the top of my class, in fact -- so perhaps it should be me grading you."

Anne looked at him with that impish, dulcet shine to her eyes that never failed to make his pulse quicken, her intonation smug as she said, "I'm just being truthful. Sometimes being a lady and telling the truth don't coincide, so you'll have to forgive me for my very unladylike honesty."

When she bowed, he huffed. "I'm afraid that a little white lie would be welcome, in this case. Must you bruise my pride? I have so few advantages in this dynamic, so I must take them whenever I can."

Anne teased him about her infernal ankles again -- would he ever stop blushing when she drew attention to her skirts; or rather, what laid beneath? -- and sneering, he reassured, "Not unless you wish to see mine, as well."

"Kiss me then."

The daring command held the effect of a whip crack, and mouth dropping, Benjamin struggled to form a coherent response as his eyes darted in between her own and the soft, welcoming slant of her mouth. Her fingertips skimmed the curve of his jaw, and as their eyes met, he genuinely feared she would feel the telltale thrum of his racing heart.

Anne opted to curl in against his chest, her hair grazing his chin, and yet again, Benjamin knew she would surely feel his heart tattooing a frantic beat against his ribs.

"I tried not to fall for you," she whispered. "Foolishly, I tried to prevent myself from loving you, and from letting you love me. But... I think I already do. I think I have for a while now, I've just been too scared to admit it."

For a long moment, Benjamin forgot how to breathe. While normally he at least had a quip or an encouraging word, all he could do was hold her close beneath his chin, wrapping her up in his arms and squeezing her against him as if he feared she would change her mind -- that he'd open his eyes and find this to be nothing more than a distant, untouchable dream.

"Anne..." Oblivious to her turmoil, Benjamin nudged his cheek into her crown, nuzzling her temple as his lips grazed her cheek. "Did we really let one of Frances' plays seduce us into the inevitable?" With a soft laugh, he only released her in favor of peering into her eyes for a proper reaction. Cupping her cheeks, he promised, "I feel the same. I...I am not a wonderful orator, but my feelings for you...they dance across my heart like the poetry I devour, eager and wanting."

Anne flashed a weakened smile. "I'm sorry for making you wait so long."

Benjamin drew her hands to his lips. "You are assuredly worth the wait. All good, beautiful things are."

Her earlier challenge returned to him like a battering ram -- kiss me then -- and as he gazed upon her sweetly upturned face, he wondered why it was suddenly difficult now when beforehand, he'd ravished her like a scoundrel where anyone could just happen upon them. Was it because he now feared the sting of rejection? The possibility that she would gain sense and deem him inferior?

But no...he couldn't, wouldn't allow her to think such things -- not if he could prove himself worthy.

Limbs trembling, Benjamin cupped her face and then devoured her breath in a frantic clash of lips, teeth and tongue -- need me, see me, love me -- and breathless, he drank of her with a heightened desperation, both terrified and exhilarated by the thought of having her, worshiping her there where no one else was privy to their hearts.

[soulmate-game]

Daughter of wonderwoman au where marinette finds out her mother is actually Diana and somehow it ends up with her meeting/being introduced to the batfam maybe because she has super strength and is seen yeeting some bad guys who tried to mug her... Or something.

“... you are running from your problems, Mari,” Adrien’s exasperated voice reminded his best friend. Again. She ignored him, and he threw his hands up in exasperation. “Look, you don’t have to do anything about it! Nobody would hold it against you if you decided to just, ignore that you found anything out at all. But you need to actually think about what we just found out and decide whether or not you’re gonna do anything—“ he side-stepped a piece of trash that went flying in his direction. “—or if you’re gonna move on and pretend nothing happened.”

“Isn’t that what I’m doing?” Marinette shot back, pushing her bangs out of her face and tying her hair back with one hand.

“No, you’re currently hiding away in Gotham to avoid your parents while you beat up every random group of idiots who thinks you’re an easy mark,” he retorted. Another wannabe kidnapper went flying in his direction, making him sigh and side step again. She had thrown that one with only her one free hand, showing just how upset she was. “You’re ignoring everything in your life, which is not what we meant we said you should get a little space.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Marinette dropkicked the last criminal into unconsciousness before stepping back and putting her hands on her hips. She looked over at the now seven passed out men in the alleyway, and the one very frustrated ex-model pinching the bride of his nose. “I think I’m coping just fine.”

“It’s better than being forced to suppress all of your emotions, sure,” Adrien reluctantly agreed. “But not by much. Your angry rampage through Gotham has already attracted more attention,” he raised his hand to point at a nearby rooftop. Several shadows lurked there, looming over the building’s edge. “Which, might I add, is exactly why I told you not to come to Gotham.”

“You’re the one who followed me here,” she shot back before turning to the shadowy figures above them. “Go ahead and come down! But it was self defense, and you can’t arrest or beat me up for defending myself!”

The first figure to drop down straightened your just as quickly, revealing the imposing figure of none other than Batman himself. The little white eyes on his cowl seemed to narrow on their own as he looked down at her.

“That might be true, but I’m sure you know my policy on metas in my city,” he grumbled back at her. He wasn’t necessarily threatening, but he definitely wasn’t welcoming either. With all of his limbs hidden behind the cocoon that was his cape, Marinette would never be able to predict his next move if he did decide to fight. Not that she seemed particularly worried about that as she crossed her arms over her chest and met his glare evenly.

“Oh, do you own this city now? I wasn’t given the memo,” she retorted. “And considering I didn’t even know I was a meta until last week? I think I deserve a little slack. I’m angry and if people think the tiny little girl in pink is an easy kidnapping target, then it’s their fault for making themselves into the perfect practice dummies for me to try out my newly discovered strength on.”

Adrien saw the eyes on Batman’s mask narrow even further. Marinette wasn’t exactly at her most charismatic at the moment, and Adrien didn’t wanna get the both of them into a bad relationship with the experienced superhero who always seemed to know things he shouldn’t know. So he stepped up quickly, getting in between Marinette and the Bat and holding his hands up in a placating gesture.

“Okay, Monsieur Batman,” Adrien started slowly, making sure his posture was impeccable and his smile bright. “She’s telling the truth, even if she’s not... the most tactful about it right now. She just found out some very concerning things about her origin and Gotham is the best place for her to hide from her problems and let loose a little pent up aggression. But— well,” he grimaced. “We didn’t intend to run into you guys, but maybe it’s a good thing we did.”

“How so?” Batman was clearly still incredibly suspicious of the both of them and wasn’t giving an inch. So Marinette rolled her eyes (she was still very moody) and leaned around Adrien so she could get a good look at the monochromatic hero.

“I thank my lucky spots that we ran into you, Batman!” She said monotonously. “Me and Adrien are paw-sitively excited at this opportunity.”

Batman. Froze.

Not only were those two lines the very first lines ever spoken to him by two foreign heroes a few years ago (with a few key words changed to protect identities), but they had become their code phrase for whenever they made calls to one another outside of their costumes. All at once it seemed to hit him— the golden hair and bright green eyes on the boy, the blue-black hair and normally super-focused bluebell eyes on the girl that were currently sporting very uncharacteristic frustration. Their heights. Their builds. All of this info flowed through his mind and compared to the information stored in his memory, and it only took the span of two seconds for everything to click.

Suddenly Batman was at full attention, back straight instead of looming over them and eyebrows clearly raised high under his cowl.

He knew Chat Noir and Ladybug would never take a random vacation to Gotham. Ladybug herself had nearly waxed poetic about how much the city depressed her just from the pictures she saw online. If she had willingly come to visit, it was more than to just blow off some steam.

“Batcave?” He asked, earning a relieved look from Adrien and a moody silence from Marinette.

“Please,” Adrien agreed. “You can probably help us, actually.”

—*—*—*—*—*

Marinette leaned back in the metal debriefing chair, legs up on the table and looking for all the world as the picture of pure teenage rebellion and angst. Coincidentally, Red Hood was in the exact same position in the chair next to her.

Batman and all of his other bats and birds were in the cave with the two off-duty Parisian heroes. Everyone except Adrien and Marinette still had their masks on, since the two Parisians were still not privy to their identities. Yet.

To be fair, the bats hadn’t known the identities of the two miraculous users either before today.

“Cha Noir,” Batman started, only to get a head shake from the blond boy.

“Just call me Adrien. Chat’s out of the bag—“ he ignored the groans at the pun and soldiered on, “—so might as well use my real name.”

Batman nodded. “Adrien, then,” he amended. “Why are you and Ladybug really in Gotham?”

Adrien sighed. “I wasn’t lying, before. Marinette,” he gestured to his hero partner. “Just found out some distressing family news. Since HawkMoth is gone, she doesn’t need to repress her negative emotions anymore. But she also didn’t want to be around her parents while she processed everything. I told her to choose any other city— really, I begged— but she insisted on coming to Gotham.”

“The never ending cloud cover and constant rain seem thematic,” she finally spoke up, reaching into her big over-the-shoulder bag and pulling out a large envelope. She threw it to Batman, making the thin package slice through the air like a knife. To nobody’s surprise the seasoned hero easily caught the projectile between two fingers. He looked at the envelope and back to Marinette, silent questions floating in the air between them. Marinette decided to answer at her own pace.

“That’s what we found out. You see, one of my friends is a huge science nerd. A genius. And he wanted to compare DNA samples between us to see if there were any genetic components that determined a person’s suitability towards certain Miraculous or other magical artifacts over others. It was supposed to just be a fun side project that he didn’t expect any breakthroughs on. He mostly just wanted to satisfy his own curiosity. But instead of finding out if our DNA was linked to the miraculous, he found out that my parents are not biologically my parents.”

“Hence the whole just finding out that you’re a meta thing, right?” Nightwing spoke up, fully invested in the story. “Did they never say you were adopted before?”

“It’s not in the system,” she replied easily. “My parents have all the documentation to prove that I’m their biological child, except I’m not. When I confronted them about it, they caved and admitted that they had adopted me in secret and covered it up. Apparently a friend of theirs was involved in something illegal, and,” she waved at the envelope that Batman was now opening. “The details of what we were able to dig up are in there. The summary is this; their friend was part of a secret, illegal experimentation to create clones that could defeat the Justice League—“ the air seemed to get sucked out of the room as soon as those words left Marinette’s mouth. Everyone seemed to know exactly what she was talking about. “—a group called CADMUS. They made me, as apparently one of their early attempts. But I didn’t exhibit any of the powers they were looking for, or any meta traits at all, and my body refused to mature at the rate they wanted. They had no use for a seemingly normal human baby that they managed to clone, so they were preparing to kill me and start over. That’s when my parent’s friend stole me, not wanting to kill an infant, and begged my parents to take me in and pretend I was theirs. Low and behold, it turns out that my DNA just needed a very specific series of emotions to unlock it’s latent abilities.”

“Those emotions being..?” Red hood trailed off, earning a wolfish smile from Marinette.

“Intense anger, betrayal, and confused frustration closely followed by the desire to punch other people’s faces in.”

“That last one is just an assumption,” Adrien chimed in. “And maybe not accurate. But the first three, our scientist friend was able to confirm. The rapid experience of a lot of negative but action-oriented emotions released whatever had been holding back the powers in her DNA from expressing themselves,” he had switched to French so that he could explain everything exactly as Max had told it to them, but he knew all of them were fluent anyway so it was fine. They nodded along, processing the information.

The crinkling of paper drew everyone’s attention back to Batman, who had been flipping through the detailed break down of everything they had found about Marinette’s situation and how she was made by CADMUS.

“Uh,” Red Robin nervously spoke up. “What’s up, Batman?”

“Your genetic donors...” Batman breathed, getting a wink and finger guns from Marinette.

“Yup. Isn’t that just the most fucked up thing you’ve ever seen? They were clearly trying to make someone who could destroy the world.”

“That makes me nervous,” Nightwing admitted, getting up and going to get a look at the papers himself. “It can’t be that ba—“

When even Nightwing was left agape, everyone else who wasn’t in on it found themselves squirming.

“Just tell the rest of us, already!” Robin demanded after the silence stretched just a bit too long.

“The unknowing genetic donors that CADMUS used to make me,” Marinette spoke up, still with her legs up on the table. “Are a very mad-scientist’s-wet-dream combination of Lex Luthor, Bruce Wayne, and Wonder Woman.”

“We don’t even know why they added Bruce Wayne’s DNA,” Adrien admitted. “Although our scientist friend thinks it’s because of physique. His hypothesis is that, in order to support the genes of Wonder Woman, they had to add male genetics that could support the production of a very high muscle mass and would lean towards easy development of a very athletic body. Lex might be evil-scientist smart, but he’s a string bean. But if he added the DNA of another multi millionaire who just so happens to maintain a ridiculously fit body without putting any obvious work into it,” Adrien shrugged. “Then maybe the clone would be able to support Wonder Woman’s genetics and that of two human donors without falling apart.”

“So I’m ‘the clone’ now, huh?” Marinette snarked, earning an exasperated eye roll from her friend.

Batman just stared at the both of them for a moment. He walked away without a word, and came back with a fresh needle and a box. He placed it on the debriefing table.

“Can I do a paternity test myself?” He asked, his voice suspiciously less gruff than normal. “I trust the both of you, but I rather be safe than sorry with something like this.”

The both of them just stared at him in confusion. They traded a glance, and finally Marinette shrugged and moved to sit in her chair properly. Her shirt was already short sleeved, so she just held her arm out so Batman could easily get a blood sample.

“Sure, why not. But do you just have Lex Luthor or Bruce Wayne’s DNA sitting around to compare, or—“ she shut up when she watched Batman take off his glove and roll his own sleeve up. Realization slowly sunk in as he asked Nightwing to take a blood sample from him.

“Holy shit,” she breathed, eyes wide. “You’re— and Luthor doesn’t know— holy shit this is even worse than I thought,” Marinette rambled, not even noticing as Red Hood moved forward and took a small blood sample from her.

Adrien put a hand over his face and just laughed for a moment hysterically. “Oh my god,” he looked over at Marinette. “You could take over the world.”

“I have the blood of Batman AND Wonder Woman on MY side,” Marinette joked back, also hysterical.

When the bat’s high tech equipment was able to come back with a positive result only a few minutes later, Marinette and Adrien had to sit on the floor and just let it all sink in. Which Batman did not at all help by immediately unmasking himself and trying to make a proper introduction.

“I wanna go beat up random thugs again,” Marinette whined, pulling at her hair. “I’ll put on a mask, whatever, but just please let me punch people. I need to punch people right now.”

[andvys]

Fine line part six 

warnings: angst, fluff, alcohol consumption

pairing: Ellie Williams x reader 

Warmth embraced you, a comforting feeling rushed through your body when you started to wake up, the pillow underneath your head felt softer and warmer than last night for some reason causing you to cuddle more into it, you haven't felt this comfortable in a while. 

You started falling back asleep again when you felt a pair of arms pulling you in closer, you opened your eyes in shock when you realized the pillow wasn't a pillow, it was Ellie and you were laying on her chest while her arms were wrapped around you tightly. 

You looked up at her, noticing that she was fast asleep, luckily. You had no idea how you ended up in this position. You tried to stay as far away from each other as possible when you went to sleep last night, so how did you end up cuddled into Ellie Williams? 

The thought of her pulling you into her at night and tightening her arms around you made you feel all warm and weird? 

‘Maybe she didn't even realize she did that..’ you thought to yourself.

Deciding to spare her and yourself the embarrassment you moved her arms off you carefully, trying not to wake her. 

You got up after you managed to move away from Ellie and grabbed your shoes and your hoodie before leaving the room. 

You went into the living room and sat down on one of the armchairs and put your shoes on, tying the laces on your boots, you couldn't help but blush at the thought of you and Ellie cuddling. You had to admit, it felt nice waking up that way.

‘stop it y/n, she hates you and you hat- you don't like her.’ you thought to yourself.

‘it felt better than waking up next to Ethan tho.’ 

Shaking your head, you were pissed at yourself for thinking it was nice, waking up with Ellie. 

You grabbed your hoodie and put it on before you put your knifes in your belt and grabbed your shotgun leaving the apartment.

You needed to clear your head and you needed a distraction right now so you decided to check out a few buildings for supplies while Ellie was still sleeping. 

-

It was raining outside and you could hear thunder rumbling in the distance, you were glad that you had the car now, otherwise you’d had to stay here one more day or for however long the rain would last til you could keep moving again. 

You walked through the street, making sure to not stay too far away from the apartment in case something happened.

An old army store managed to catch your attention, it was probably picked clean already but you were sure you could still find a few things in there. 

You knocked on the window, checking if infected were in there, you waited for a minute to see if any would come running towards the window but nothing happened and it was quiet in there. 

Walking inside, you noted that most shelves were empty but you didn't expect anything else, it would be a miracle if there were more than a few things left after so many years after the outbreak.

You walked over to the counter and walked around it, opening one of the drawers you found a silencer for your pistol, you grabbed it and put it into the pockets of your hoodie. 

You noticed a door that led into a different room, walking towards it you tried to open it but it was locked.

“damnit.” you mumbled. 

You checked for some keys but you couldn't find any so you put your shotgun down and grabbed your knife and leaned down, picking the lock with the blade. 

Sighing in relief when you heard the click, getting up you put your knife back in your belt before you picked your shotgun off the floor and opened the door.

Your eyes widened at the sight that greeted you “oh fuck.” you mumbled as you pointed your shotgun at the infected in front of you, shooting it.

-

Ellie shot up in the bed when she heard a loud gunshot, she looked down noticing that your side of the bed was empty. 

“y/n?!” she called out, hoping that you were in the apartment and the gunshot was just apart of her dream but she heard no response. 

Her heart started racing in her chest and her hands started shaking when she started putting her shoes on, another gunshot echoing through the streets making Ellie even more nervous. 

The thought of you being in danger made her anxious.

She grabbed a flannel putting it on while she ran towards her rifle, grabbing it she left the apartment quickly, racing down the stairs she ran out on the streets, looking around “y/n!” she yelled out. 

The rain poured down the sky, thunder crashed loudly as Ellie noticed a door of one of the stores was wide open.

She ran towards it, her heart pounded in her chest, she was scared that she would find you too late, she was scared that you were injured or worse. 

She ran inside to find you laying on the floor, struggling against a clicker that was trying to bite your face off. 

She aimed her rifle at the clickers head and shot it twice, startling you. 

She walked towards you and threw the clicker off you, looking down on you in anger. 

“fuck..” you mumbled, sitting up you leaned against the counter “it almost got me.” 

Ellie looked around, noticing that there were a few dead clickers laying around but the last one seemed to have overpowered you.

“what the hell y/n?!” Ellie exclaimed angrily, she was mad, you almost got yourself killed for nothing. 

She didn't even want to think about how she would feel if she walked inside to find you dead.

“what were you thinking?” 

You looked up at her in surprise when she raised her voice at you, the angry expression on her face made you feel nervous for some reason.

“I-I wasn't-”

“that’s the problem! you weren't thinking y/n!” she yelled at you, shaking her head “you never do!”

“Ellie I-I’m sorry, that was stupid of me.” you mumbled, getting up to face her, she looked so mad right now you didn't know if saying anything was a good idea.

“you’re right it was stupid.” she stated, looking at you in anger, her breathing was heavy. 

“don’t ever do that again.” she mumbled angrily, glaring at you.

You didn't get why she was so mad, it’s not like she cared about you. 

“I won’t.” you mumbled, bending down to pick up your shotgun you walked past her and walked inside the the room you were planning on checking out before the infected almost attacked you.

Ellie breathed out in relief, putting a hand on her chest, she tried to calm herself down, she was so angry at you for putting yourself in danger like that.

She wasn't in the mood to look for supplies right now so she stayed back and waited for you.

You came back a few minutes later, disappointment written all over your face. 

“there’s nothing.” you mumbled as you went to leave the store.

Ellie scoffed, shaking her head as she followed you out. 

“so you almost got yourself killed for nothing huh?” she grumbled.

You turned around to face her, getting annoyed at her.

“I wanted to make myself useful and look for something rather than sitting around, doing nothing!” you told her.

“yeah you would've been very useful if you were dead right now.” she chuckled humorlessly. 

“I am not dead though.” you said, rolling your eyes “thanks to you.” you mumbled. 

Ellie’s eyes widened in surprise at your words. You never gave in to her and usually you’d never admit that Ellie saved you, even if she clearly did so it was definitely a surprise to hear that from you.

“and why do you even care?” you muttered, looking at her with a frown on your face. 

She hated you, so why was she so angry at you for almost dying?

Ellie’s stayed quiet as she stared at your face, not answering your question.

“well?” you asked, waiting for an answer.

She sighed before she tried moving past you but you stepped in front of her, stopping her from leaving. 

She rolled her eyes and looked down, avoiding looking into your eyes. 

“I just don’t want you to get hurt and i don’t want you to die y/n.” she mumbled before she walked past you, back into the apartment. 

You turned around and watched her leave, you were surprised at her words.

-

Two weeks have passed since that incident at the store and you finally made it to Texas. Under different circumstances it would've taken you a day or two to get there from Jackson but most roads where blocked, so you had to take many backroads. You ran into way too many infected and some groups of people causing you to have a few close calls. The past two weeks have been hard on you and Ellie, you were both covered in bruises and new scars from all the fighting but you had each other’s backs and fought together against any threat that came your way. 

You kept each other alive, you would’ve never thought you and Ellie could work well together but here you were, you had to admit you were a good team.

Things were becoming less tense and awkward between you and you were glad about it, you didn’t have the energy to bicker with her while facing one threat after the other.

You kept thinking back to waking up in Ellie’s arms, you thought it was an accident and it wouldn’t happen again but then you woke up in her arms again a few days after that and a third time a few days ago when you were forced to share the bed in an old motel room. You knew that she knew but you both acted like nothing happened, it was an accident, you didn’t mean to cuddle her, it just happened.

Looking at the map, you noticed you were getting closer to your main destination, which was in Austin. You noticed there were two places marked up in that area but the other one wasn't there before when Maria showed you the map, Joel must've marked it up when he was showing Ellie something on the map. 

“hey, what’s that second location?” you asked Ellie, glancing at her you noticed how tired she looked. 

“huh?” 

“what’s th- are you okay?” you asked, worriedly. 

She looked at you and nodded. 

“no, you're not.” you stated, you could see the dark circles under her eyes and how her eyes almost shut, she was tired.

To be fair, you both didn't get much sleep the past few days, you always ran into trouble and didn't manage to find a place to rest at.

“you should let me drive.” you said, you were tired too but not as much as she was, she looked exhausted.

“it’s fine y/n.” she mumbled.

“no, stop the car.” you ordered, looking at her with a stern expression on your face.

“y/n-

“stop the car, Ellie.” 

She mumbled something under her breath, before she stopped the car. Glaring at you before she got out walking around the car.

You moved over to the driver’s seat as she got into the passenger seat, shutting the door, she looked at you in annoyance, waiting for you to start driving.

“put your seatbelt on.” you smirked at her.

She glared at you, “are you serious right now?” she scoffed.

“yup.” 

She rolled her eyes before doing what you told her to do.

“happy?” 

“very.” you smirked when you finally started to drive.

Shaking her head, she leaned back in her seat and grabbed the map, looking at it, she remembered you asked her about the second location.

“it’s Joel’s house.” she told you, looking over at you she noted the confused expression on your face “the second location.” she added. 

Realization dawned on you, he told you about his house in Texas, he told you that Tommy went there and apparently it’s still as it was when they left.

“oh alright.” 

“if everything goes well we should be there soon I think.” Ellie said.

“okay.” 

-

After two more hours of driving, you successfully made it to Joel’s house, you parked the car in the driveway and got out of the car. You grabbed your backpack and your shotgun from the back of the car and watched Ellie who was looking for something in her backpack. 

Her brows furrowed in concentration when she was rummaging through her backpack. 

You looked around, noting how quiet and peaceful the area looked, you hoped no one was around here but you doubted you’d run into any people here, especially around this time, it was getting dark out now.

“ah there.” she mumbled when she picked out the keys. 

Walking over to the front door she used the key to unlock the door before she walked inside, you went in after her and closed the door.

After you made sure no infected got into the house, you lit a few candles before you sat down on the couch and sighed at the feeling of the soft cushion beneath you.

It’s been a while since you sat or laid down anywhere comfortable.

Ellie sat down next to you and leaned back.

“what now?” Ellie mumbled.

“uhh i don’t know.” you shrugged, you should probably eat something but you weren’t really hungry but you remembered something you had in your backpack.

You bend down and started looking through your backpack.

Ellie watched you in curiosity, wondering what you were looking for. Her eyes widened in excitement when she saw you pulled out a whiskey bottle that you found a few days ago.

“care for a drink?” you asked, smirking at her.

“hell yeah.” she said, getting up she went into the kitchen to grab two glasses.

She held them out for you, as you poured the whiskey inside. You could feel her eyes on you but you didn’t dare to look up at her.

Ellie couldn’t help but stare at you, she didn’t know what it was about you but it was getting harder everyday to resist you. Not that you even wanted her. She hated herself for thinking about you this way. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t fall deeper into this hopeless situation of her longing for you but there was no way not to.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts she handed you your glass before she sat down again, taking a sip of her drink.

“we should sleep in tomorrow before we head out.” you said, looking over at her you eyed her arms, you always admired her muscles.

You always thought you were jealous of her for having them but now you realized you weren’t and those thoughts and feelings went into a completely different direction.

‘how haven’t i noticed how hot she actually is?’ you thought to yourself.

“yeah, we should.” Ellie nodded, glancing at you, she noticed the way you stared at her.

“yeah..” you mumbled, biting down on your lip.

Ellie looked away, hiding her smirk.

Your eyes widened when you realized what you were thinking about, the fact that Ellie catched you checking her out left you feeling flustered.

Downing your drink in one go, you poured yourself another, causing Ellie to chuckle.

“you okay there y/n?” she chuckled.

“hmm? y-yeah s-sure.” you stuttered, as you have her a small smile.

You stayed quiet for a while after that and just enjoyed the silence until Ellie spoke up again.

“you’re not that bad you know?” she told you.

You chuckled as looked at her “well thank you.” you snorted, shaking your head “you’re not that bad either.”

Ellie smiled slightly, “we went from enemies to uh friends?” she asked, shyly.

Your eyes widened, you never thought Ellie would ever call you her friend but you weren’t complaining.

Nodding “friends.” you smiled at her.

“enemies... is that we were?” you asked her, looking at her in curiosity “I mean.. enemies are on opposite teams and they try to kill each other at least five times.” you chuckled.

“yeah and then they fall in love.” Ellie blurted out, her eyes widened when she realized what she said, she wanted to slap herself. 

You fought the smile that started appearing on your face when you noticed how flustered she looked.

“yeah.” you said, taking a sip from your drink. 

You talked for a while longer before you both decided it was time to catch up on some sleep, you just didn't discuss where you would sleep. 

There were two bedrooms up there, you knew one belonged to Joel’s daughter Sarah and there was no way that either of you would sleep in there, you wouldn't even step foot into that room, you felt like you had no right to invade that privacy. 

So there were only two options, Joel’s bedroom or the couch in the living room. 

“so..” you trailed off. “I can take the couch.” 

Ellie looked at you a little sadly, or at least that's what it looked like to you.

“or we can share the bed again.” you suggested, feeling a little nervous “I mean we’ve done it before so..” 

Her eyes lit up at your offer, “y-yeah.. we can do that.” she said before she got off the couch, to go upstairs.

You followed her, feeling a little nervous for some reason. 

You both walked into the room and put your backpacks down before you took your shoes off.

You and Ellie laid down on the bed and looked at each other, it was dark in the room but the light from the moon was bright enough for you to see her. 

“good night Ellie.” you whispered.

“good night y/n.” she whispered. 

Instead of falling asleep with your backs to each other you instead fell asleep facing each other this time.

[3laxx]

Maternal Feelings

There she was.

Her tiny granddaughter.

She had a bit lighter skin than Luz and just about Amity’s hair color. And she was so damn tiny.

Eda found herself getting scared, suddenly. This was a really small kid. This was like, a stupidly small child. She would not hold that baby for any number of snails.

---

Eda meets her newborn grandddaughter for the first time.

I don't know man I'm just chucking out words rn like I'm running from something.

But I had this thought of Eda meeting a very small child and my stupid brain was like "We can do that instead of sleeping" xD

So yeah, have this incredibly fluffy oneshot about Eda coming to terms with her Momma feelings and adjusting to being a grandma.

I just really wanted Eda to get emotional over a baby

Don't even ask Idk

Have fun reading! <3

Ao3 / FF.net

---

Eda had never been the most maternal.

Not in her youth, not when she had found King, and not when she had sort of adopted and sheltered Luz until she had graduated and been able to stand on her own two feet.

Not when King had taken her name and not when Amity had asked her for Luz’s hand, which had in truth just been a mockery of her parents’ traditions and had given Eda nothing more than an excuse to drink some apple blood with her future daughter-in-law.

Of course, she had seen Luz as a daughter at some point, had called herself her mother, had cared for her.

She had made their meals, had helped Luz with the homework – even if that had disgusted her – she had taught Luz and King everything she knew, she had tucked King in, cared for Luz when she had gotten sick or sad. She had of course done everything in her power to make sure her kids were content and happy.

That didn’t mean she had felt as though she was a mother. She had liked pretending to be the sort of crazy aunt, in charge of all the bad decisions.

But she had never seen herself as maternal.

Well, she supposed that came from not really setting any rules. When she had been younger, she had always been under the impression that mothers had to set rules, educate their children, and raise them. She had never really raised King or Luz.

She had just sort of made them laugh, given them food, and then they hadn’t left anymore. Like the free-loaders they were. Kind of like pests, actually.

It had always made them laugh if she had called them that. It had made her laugh.

Because she loved them, of course. She didn’t know love alone could turn her, the irresponsible, free-spirited wild witch a mother.

She supposed she had been a mother for King and Luz. Without setting rules, without all the raising stuff. She supposed her kids had turned her the littlest bit maternal.

Was it normal for friends to stay up at night and change the cold applications on Luz’s forehead in the hopes of bringing her fever down? Was it called caring and loving when she went out of her way to get King’s favorite toy, to get Luz the food she could actually digest, to make sure King was free of fleas and bathed and tucked in at night?

Did it make her a mother if she risked her own life to ensure they could lead a happy life?

Eda never knew the line between loving, as friends, and maternal.

Raine had started calling her out on her maternal feelings once she got the littlest bit protective of Luz.

Well, it wasn’t her fault that everything made her jump after Belos had almost – had, in fact – killed Luz on the day of unity. It wasn’t her fault that she woke up at night in a cold sweat, rushing to check on her daughter in the room next to hers sleeping peacefully, only to return to a sleepy Raine dazedly grinning at her with a smug, shit-eating expression of ���Told you so”.

Every time, they would roll over their mattress in her nest and wrap an arm around her waist and tell her she was such a sweet mother.

Well, she was. She was the Momma of the Owl House.

But maternal?

Eda supposed she was.

After all, even if friends would do the same as her, a mother would make sure everything stayed safe and protected in her house. Making sure there was food on the table that Luz could eat. Making sure King was feeling loved, despite having discovered his past.

Making sure Luz had all her school materials, spending money on icky, stupid books. Giving her an allowance. Keeping her and King safe.

Well, Eda had never really tried finding a definition for maternal. All the love she had gained for King and Luz had just been that to her – love. And it had been enough.

She had loved calling herself Momma and had loved treating Luz like her daughter and King like her son, and she had loved calling them her kids. She just supposed the word itself – maternal – didn’t exactly describe what she was. She, herself, as Eda the Owl Lady, the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles, an agent of chaos and the most daring criminal history had ever seen.

She had just assumed a mother wouldn’t call herself these titles.

Seemed like her view of a mother had been wrong.

Any person could be a mother, a parent, a father, or anything remotely close to this. And she supposed, caring for Luz and King, taking them in, giving them food, kind of did make her a maternal person, while never losing her pride as a criminal and generally irresponsible person.

A mother.

Well, whatever a mother was, or whatever maternal feelings were, or whatever she defined herself at and whatever she did for Luz and King.

Here she found herself, fidgeting next to her spouse, her excited teenage son in tow who was already towering over her height, in front of the healer’s coven building.

Whatever a mother was, she would probably feel that way. Well, Camila – Luz’s other mother – next to her other side was buzzing in excitement just as much as she was. The two women exchanged a glance before Camila gave her a small smile and she felt Raine taking her hand.

King gave a groan when he finally placed his claws on Eda’s and Camila’s shoulders and pushed them up the three steps into the main entrance, rolling his eyes.

After Belos had been taken down – after he had actually very much killed Luz, Eda had just brought her back to life – Luz and her friends had taken on graduation while the Boiling Isles had experienced a change in the government. Covens were no longer used to steal or limit magic. Instead, they had been used as a way to form a working parliament, with an elected group of government heads. After the gang had graduated, Luz had worked towards getting a way back home while helping establish a stable government form from the makeshift temporary one they had managed to create after Belos’ defeat. Luz had actually helped them quite a bit by telling of experiences made in the human realm, where politics were apparently a lot more twisted than here on the Isles.

Eda and Lilith had been elected as part of the group forming the government, even if Eda had dropped out after one or two periods, while her sister had taken charge like it had been the most natural thing for her.

Discovering that politics hadn’t really been up to her alley – she was way more interested in rebellions than anything else – she had begun building a legal business since she didn’t have to fear being captured anymore. It had gone pretty well.

Raine had started working in the government as well as Amity, while Luz had started working to mastering all forms of glyphs she could find, admitting her studies to the academics, and shortly after, had been offered to become a teacher at Hexside by Bump to teach magicless witches and demons glyph magic.

After traveling the Isles and working on her studies, Luz had accepted and finally settled down with Amity. It really hadn’t been a surprise to Eda when Amity had come to her and Raine with a ring and asked them to marry Eda’s daughter.

After already asking Camila that is.

Eda faintly felt King pushing her into the cool building that smelled like disinfectant – a nifty cleaning drug from the human realm that Luz had introduced them to – before hearing herself asking the receptionist where the room of the Noceda-Blights was.

A kind of bored-looking demon sighed and looked the room number up in the list, before pointing them in the direction. Again, Eda’s feet felt like they had been planted into the tiles below her.

Only after Raine gave her a light push, she moved again.

So, the world now had some sort of order. Nobody was forced into covens anymore, and the coven seals had been removed, setting the magic free again.

Raine and she had married shortly after her daughter had accepted Amity’s proposal, and now, ten years after Luz had first set foot on the Boiling Isles chasing after her book, Eda found herself feeling more maternal than ever. Whatever that meant.

Her hands were fidgety, and not even Raine’s steadying grip could calm her. Camila tried not to look around too much, even after so many years of knowing the Boiling Isles and having visited her daughter regularly, she still wasn’t used to all of it.

Stopping in front of their room, Eda tried breathing through. King sighed again, but Raine shot him a glare and he shut up. At least her spouse understood that this was a big step for her. Looking to her side, Camila tried another smile and Eda nodded at her.

“If you want to, you and King can go ahead. I’ll-… I still need a minute.”

More than willing, Camila accepted. She knocked, and upon hearing Luz’s call, she stepped in. Eda shuffled to the side to let King through, so he could duck through the doorframe and maneuver his broad shoulders in without hitting anything. The door closed and Eda breathed through once more, feeling Raine’s grip tightening.

“How do you feel?”

Shooting them a grin, Eda turned, shrugging and trying to play it cool, “Old, honestly.”

Laughing, Raine pulled her aside to the row of chairs and made her sit down.

“No, I mean, how do you feel about Luz and Amity?”, they tried again and Eda sighed, staring at the blank wooden door with the small eighteen next to it.

“… Proud. I’m proud of them for making this commitment.”, looking back to Raine, she added, “And kind of scared. I haven’t really been the most-… Well, involved.”

Unimpressed, Raine lifted an eyebrow.

“… You’re kidding, right?”

Groaning, Eda shrugged again and leaned back, before closing her eyes, resting her head against the wall.

“I-… I never made the commitment they made. King has his father and Luz has her mother. I was more a friend to them than a mom. Sure, I liked seeing myself that way, and they liked seeing themselves as my kids, but-… It was fun having them. King had always been mostly independent and Luz was already a teenager when I met her. I’ve never-… Well, been around-…”

Raine softly placed their hand on Eda’s hands that she had folded in her lap and when she opened her eyes again, the gaze of her spouse was humored.

“Come on, Eda. How hard can it be to be a not-grandmother?”, at the joke, Eda groaned, “It’s not much different to being a not-mom to your kids.”

Grumbling, she got up again before straightening her back and nodding.

“You know what, you’re right. That kid is family now and whoever the hell cares what a mother or a grandmother is.”

A little confused, Raine got up after her and pumped a fist, albeit half-heartedly.

“That’s the spirit?”, they laughed and Eda huffed, before knocking and getting her own call to be let in.

The room was warm and humid. Eda let in Raine and quickly closed the door after them, not to let too much of the warmth escape, before turning back to her daughter.

Luz looked tired when she approached them.

Well, that wasn’t a surprise, given that she and Amity had arrived in the hospital two days ago before their little daughter had been born just this morning in the earliest hours. She had probably been awake all this time to be there for Amity.

Giving Eda a big hug, she nuzzled her face into the crook of her mother’s neck, before deeply breathing out. Eda could tell that Luz had just overcome a big step for herself.

“… I’m glad you’re here…”, she breathed and Eda wrapped her arms around the now-grown woman, tilting her own head into the embrace. The younger witch snuggled close while Raine squeezed past them to join Camila and King around the crib next to Amity’s bed.

Eda tried so hard not to cry.

This was a happy occasion and she would sure as hell not shed a tear about this. Just when she pressed a little kiss to Luz’s head, a tear rolled into her dark curls as well. Well, there went this promise.

“I’m proud of you, kid.”, she whispered and Luz held her tighter, smiling against her neck, “I’m so, so proud of you. If you ever need some help, I’ll do my damn best to provide.”

Sniffling, Luz nodded, before parting from her.

The exhaustion was evident on her face. She wiped her cheek before Eda placed a hand on her shoulder and caught her gaze. They exchanged a silent smile, then she looked up and around her daughter to her future daughter-in-law on the bed, obviously exhausted as well.

Amity gave a small wave, but it was obvious to see she was under the influence of some strong sedatives. That was the logical thing to do, Eda supposed, to keep her from acting protective over her child while all her family and friends wanted to meet the newest family member.

Witches only carried six months until giving birth, before incubating their pup for another three months. Which was why this room was so damn hot.

But upon giving birth, new mothers would also become a lot more protective of their pups than humans would. Luz had been new to all of this and Eda had had to educate her on the reproduction of witches, because Amity had been too busy laughing. Well, Eda had laughed as well, but not as hard as Luz’s fiancé.

Looking back to her daughter, she finally noticed the bandage she was wearing around one hand. Smirking, she gestured to that.

“Don’t tell me your weak nerd arms gave in.”, she joked and Luz huffed, rubbing the bandage with the healing sticker.

“Amity just had to transform her hand into a damn abomination while in labor. Seriously, who even does that? She sliced my hand right in half.”, grumbling, she looked back to her fiancé and gave her a small smile before looking back to Eda, “I almost missed the birth because the healers had to patch me up first. But there won’t even be a scar because they had my hand reattached just a second after it happened.”

Still grinning, Eda punched her shoulder, then Luz leaned closer to her, lowering her voice.

“Just don’t tell Mami. She’d lose her cool.”

Shaking her head and laughing, Eda walked past her.

“I won’t, don’t worry.”, after making her way around the bed, she sat down on the edge and caught Amity’s dazed gaze, taking her hand after permission, “Hey Minty. How’re you feeling?”

“… ’M good.”, the young witch slurred, trying a small smile, before breathing through and looking to the side where she kept her pup in view, “… Tired.”

Eda nodded, cupping her hand with both of hers, before softly patting the back of her hand.

“Lily will be here this afternoon to look after you two. Your siblings are still in Latissa on Government business, they asked me to tell you because they couldn’t get a hold of you. But they’ll be back tomorrow.”

She could tell that was a lot of information for Amity to process so she made a note to tell Luz as well. Leaving the witch to try and observe the room again – probably to make sure it stayed safe for her pup – she turned to the crib now finally.

There she was.

Her tiny granddaughter.

She had a bit lighter skin than Luz and just about Amity’s hair color. And she was so damn tiny.

Eda found herself getting scared, suddenly. This was a really small kid. This was like, a stupidly small child. She would not hold that baby for any number of snails.

Camila seemed a lot more comfortable around the baby, though. She had respected Luz’s wish to leave her in her crib for the time being, so Amity could get used to so many people around her pup so suddenly, but she was already reaching in and brushing the tiny thing over her cheek.

Well, okay, that seemed easy enough. Eda could do that, someday, when the kid was like twelve or something.

King and Luz were talking about something while Raine looked just about as amazed by the small creature as Camila was.

Sensing their amazement and figuring that Raine didn’t exactly have that much experience with children, either, Camila took the hand of Eda’s spouse and guided them down into the crib, brushing their knuckles against the incredibly soft skin of the baby’s cheek.

Amity didn’t even flinch at that. Either the sedatives were really strong or she felt incredibly comfortable with the people in the room. Looking back to the young witch, Eda confirmed the latter. Through half-lidded eyes, Amity was leaning back against the pillow, her other hand that was not held by Eda draped across her belly, while she was calmly watching Camila guiding Raine’s hand against the infant’s cheek.

She wondered how much Amity had actually adopted Luz’s family as her own once her parents had been imprisoned for their crimes against the public.

Judging by her calm reaction, she didn’t mind them being around her and her loved ones in the slightest, even in the now starting incubation period. Finally, Luz leaned around King and reached into the crib to lift her little daughter up and cradling her close to her chest. The baby didn’t even wake up, which made Eda chuckle.

“She’s got your sleeping habits, kid.”

Amity’s hand in hers shook when she started laughing alongside the older witch and Luz flushed in deep red when her mother confirmed.

“Sometimes, not even me shaking her would wake her up to school.”, Camila added and Luz huffed, bopping the infant in her arms.

“You guys are being mean to me in front of my daughter.”, she tried pouting, but King deadpanned.

“In front of your sleeping daughter. She won’t hear any of this.”

They started laughing again while Luz couldn’t suppress a little smile herself while looking down at the infant. When they had all quieted down a little, Luz pressed a soft kiss to her daughter’s forehead, before approaching Camila. Shooting a gaze towards Amity first to ask her permission, she then placed the baby in her mother’s arms and kept her hand cupped on the baby’s head, smiling.

“That’s your abuelita, mija.”, Luz mumbled softly and Eda almost felt her own heart breaking with the light sniffle Camila gave. After all these years of calling Luz her mija, Luz starting to use that label for her own daughter now made the human tear up.

While Camila greeted the little pup, Eda turned back to Amity whose head was softly nicking every time her eyelids fell. She had to be exhausted.

Tugging on her hand, Eda got her attention, then she lightly pushed the crib away to get up and adjust Amity’s pillow for her.

“C’mon, let’s get you lying down. We’ll take care of your pup.”

A sleepy gaze crossed with Eda’s but before Amity could object, the older witch was already adjusting the settings of the mattress to be flat again, before helping Amity lie down on her side.

“You can stay awake for as long as you want, but you should be comfortable with it at least.”, shooting her a grateful gaze, the younger witch yawned, then she adjusted the blanket around her future daughter-in-law and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry about your pup, okay? Luz is taking care of her.”

That seemed to soothe Amity. She mumbled a soft “thank you” towards Eda and curled up a little, before continuing to watch the scene before her, the blinking of her eyelids already getting slower.

When Eda turned back to Camila, she discovered that Luz had taken her daughter back already and was safely cradling her before going around the crib and catching Eda’s gaze.

She knew that Luz wanted her to say hi, too.

“Luz, I’m not so sure about holding-”

Chuckling, her daughter adjusted the baby, before taking Eda’s hand.

“You can greet them like this first if you don’t wanna hold her. Or you can sit down if you like.”

Huffing, Eda fidgeted shortly, before rubbing her hands together and breathing through.

“Just, uh-… Sitting would be nice. I’m-… Holding the bat kids was an entirely different thing, you know? They could fly. Your kid can’t fly.”

Luz had to laugh at Eda’s rambling, pulling on her hand, she ushered King out of the chair by the window, before letting her adoptive mother sit down in it. Camila helped out by placing a pillow on Eda’s lap, then she was all set. Luz studied her face again.

“If you’re too nervous, you don’t have to hold her. I can hold her over your lap if you want to.”

Trying to wave her off, Eda forced a laugh.

“Pfft, you can just say you don’t trust me holding a baby, kid.”, she tried to joke around, but Luz just gave her a smile.

“If you feel uncomfortable, you don’t have to. That’s all I’m saying.”

But Eda wanted to. She definitely did kind of want to hold the tiny fragile baby that Luz had made together with her fiancé. Even if she was nervous and a little bit scared and so amazed by how small such a tiny thing could actually be, she did kind of want to hold that baby. Patting the pillow, she finally breathed through, then she opened her arms.

“Okay, I’m ready. Bring it, kid.”

Smirking at her antics, Luz leaned in and kneeled, then she slowly placed the baby in Eda’s arms. It was so tiny. It was so stupidly tiny, it wasn’t even as long as Eda’s forearm. Hiccupping, the older witch instinctively cradled the tiny, tiny infant in her arms and a warm feeling overcame her.

A really warm feeling.

If that was maternal feelings, then Eda swore she was going to be the best dang grandmother she could be for that child.

She brushed over her temple and the baby squirmed slightly. Apparently, she had woken up sometime during Camila holding her and was now kind of fighting against the snug swaddle blanket she was trapped in. Eda didn’t even notice she had tears in her eyes when she already felt the first tear rolling down her cheek.

“Wow… You’re my granddaughter now, hm?”, she asked and that tiny thing yawned, her arms struggling in the swaddle, before softly smacking her incredibly small lips. Eda found herself smiling immediately, “Titan, that’s new.”

Luz’s hands undid the blanket that was wrapped around the baby, then Eda laughed tearily when the infant stretched, her absolutely tiny fists stretching up to her face and rubbing her cheeks. She was apparently waking up and while she knew that incubating infants didn’t open their eyes yet, she found herself wondering what eye color the child would have. Adjusting the baby, she cradled them closer, then she smuggled a finger into the fist and giggled in delight when the baby grabbed it, despite not wanting to open the fist at first.

Looking up to Luz, who was still kneeling in front of her, she managed a smile, her teary expression probably matching the one on her daughter’s face.

“She’s perfect, Luz. But, let’s be honest, you two made a stupidly small baby.”

Laughing under tears, Luz nodded then she brushed over her daughter’s head and pressed a small kiss to her forehead to which the baby responded with a huff.

“Yeah, when I first held her, I was so scared she’d just slip right through my arms. But I think Amity would have killed me if I had so much as stumbled so I concentrated really hard not to let that happen.”

Eda’s gaze shot up from her granddaughter to her future daughter-in-law who was calling from the bed, her words slurred from the sedatives and sleepiness, but still very much poised if needed.

“… You better not drop our child, Luz.”

Raine had to laugh at that and went to soothe the new mother, while Eda turned back to the baby in her arms with a smile.

“Titan she’s small…”

The following few minutes were pretty much filled with tearful giggles and a very excited King who almost knocked the crib over when Luz called him to say hi as well. When Eda and King had calmed down a little, Camila had taken Luz outside for a little mother-daughter walk in the nearby park and King had gone with them for snacks. The older witch got up and carried the baby back to the crib, smiling when she lifted them up to her face. Resting her forehead against theirs, she kept like this for a moment, before stopping in front of the crib.

Amity had fallen asleep by now, even if she was flinching with every littlest sound her daughter made, so Eda looked over to Raine.

“Wanna hold the baby, too?”, she asked and Raine blushed.

“I’d-… I’d rather wait until she’s a little bit older.”, she admitted and Eda nodded before still gesturing her spouse over. Raine got up from the edge of Amity’s bed and joined Eda, putting an arm around her waist while Eda still cradled the baby close, taking care not to jostle her too much.

She yawned again and from the corner of her eyes, Eda saw Amity’s eyes opening, unfocused and probably very much still asleep but still attentive to her daughter. Chuckling, she turned back to Raine.

“Boy, I’m sure glad I only had two adoptive children.”

Shrugging, Raine caught the baby’s fist with their free hand and tickled their tiny fingers, but she wouldn’t open her hand this time.

“I’m sure you would’ve made a great biological mother as well. As you’re already a great adoptive mother, too.”

Shrugging, Eda brushed over her temple again, leaning into Raine.

“Nah, I’m glad I never had a baby. I don’t think I would’ve wanted to go through that.”

“Fair enough.”, Raine whispered, but their tone indicated that they had stopped listening to Eda, engrossed by the child in her arms. She softly kicked, which caused them to chuckle, before she settled back against Eda’s chest, curling in slightly and breathing through, apparently getting ready for her next nap. Raine sighed softly.

“Honestly, I’m glad I never had a baby, too. But having a grandchild is amazing.”

Grinning, Eda kissed their forehead, before carefully maneuvering the baby back into the crib and swaddling them the best she could, watching her breaths deepening and calming as she fell asleep again. Then, Eda pushed the crib next to Amity’s bed, to which the young witch immediately responded by reaching into the crib from the side and resting her hand on her daughter’s belly. Smiling, Eda took Raine into her arms and watched as both her future daughter-in-law and her granddaughter slept peacefully, leaning her head against Raine’s.

“… You’re right this is amazing.”

She already knew that this child would have the two best mothers she could ask for. And she knew that her entire family, including her furry uncle, three grandmothers, and one grandparent, and their twin uncle and aunt would do their damn best to make sure this child had everything she needed.

Smiling, Eda reached down to brush over the baby’s cheek and pulled Raine closer.

Maternal feelings or not, this was amazing.

---

Let me know if you liked it!

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

All Men Have Limits - IX

Character: Dick Grayson x Reader x Bruce Wayne

Summary: A certain bat believes that Y/N is in way over her head, that she’s too naive to act in her best interest. So, whether she wants it or not, the vigilante family is going to help and protect her before she gets herself killed.

Word Count: 2,800+

Warning: Violence, Mentions of past domestic abuse

Previously on…

A WEEK LATER...

Of course it had to be raining the night they needed to execute their plan. 

Y/N didn’t know if she was shaking because she was freezing or because she was so nervous. Even with all the layers and her knit hat, she couldn’t seem to warm up.

Y/N had been walking around for half an hour. They’d mapped out her route so her face would get picked up by as many street cameras as possible. If The Court was as sinister as rumored, they’d be watching.

“Scratch your nose if you’re doing alright,” Dick said in Y/N’s ear.

The whole family had explained how imperative it was for Y/N not to speak. They had to assume that Y/N was being watched the moment she left the manor. And if her lips moved, the Talons would know something was up.

So Y/N scratched her nose and looked over her shoulder suspiciously, just like they had talked about.

“Remember: you want out at any moment, just press the distress button on your watch,” Dick added for good measure.

Y/N wanted to roll her eyes at his worry and overprotectiveness, and say, ‘I know. I know.’ But she knew better than that.

“Someone’s tracking her,” Jason spoke up in the comms. “Civilian clothing.”

Jason started calling out the identifiers to his family, and in 30 seconds everyone spotted the man that was tailing Y/N.

But this was all part of the plan.

“I still don’t like this,” Dick muttered to his family, making sure he cut Y/N’s connection off so she didn’t hear his nervousness.

“’Course you are. We’re throwing your girlfriend to the wolves,” Jason commented.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Dick muttered with annoyance.

“Focus,” Bruce chimed in for the first time.

“She’s stuck to the route we gave her,” Tim commented. “All well-lit and crowded with people. They won’t make a scene with this many witnesses.”

The family moved across rooftops, following Y/N’s path from their designated points.

Dick and Bruce both hated this plan, but they were handling it in different ways.

Bruce had become almost mute with focus. He didn’t want a single thing to slip past him. His senses were acute as ever. He was barely communicating with them because he was too busy keeping an eye on Y/N. His eyes hadn’t stopping shooting around, making sure to cover all angles.

“She’s entering the warehouse,” Damian announced.

Everyone shifted their focus and made their moves.

Y/N stopped at the computers she had set up. Or really that Bruce had hired men to set up for her.

She started typing away rapidly, not sure how much time she’d have before deadly ninjas would start dropping on her.

With one final slam of a key, she let out a shallow breath. “Signal’s been sent out. We’re live.”

“Nice!” Tim answered.

Jason started to chime in, but suddenly his voice became crackly and then the line went silent.

“Red Hood?” Y/N asked.

Nothing.

“Anyone read?”

Nothing.

Y/N felt a chill go up her spine.

She whipped around to find three Talons awaiting her attention.

Y/N quickly took a step back and pressed the panic button on her watch. She hoped The Court hadn’t somehow intercepted that signal as well.

“You were lucky with our last encounter,” a Talon stepped forward to speak.

Y/N ignored him and took out both of the guns that had been hiding in her trench coat.

He laughed at the weapons. “Have we not already tried this?”

“At least I’m not a coward hiding behind a mask. Won’t even let me see the faces of the idiots who want to kill me?”

They all ignored her attempt to get them to unmask themselves, but started stepping toward her. “Not want. We will kill you this time.”

But before Y/N could answer or the Talons could get any closer, a smoke bomb was dropped in the space between her and her enemy.

Just as it erupted, Dick dropped down from the bannister above and shoved a gas mask over Y/N’s face.

This wasn’t just any usual gas bomb that Batman and the family used as a distraction. No, this was a special formula designed to burn eyes and cause coughing fits.

One thing was made quite clear, the Talon’s masks were not used to protect them from such attacks. They were meant to hide their identity and nothing else.

Y/N smirked when she heard the sudden coughing and groans of pain. They weren’t muffled by fabric, meaning they had no choice but to remove their masks.

“Stay back,” Dick warned her before lightly pushing her behind a pillar as the smoke bomb started to settle.

Barely giving them a chance, Dick attacked the weakened Talons.

But now the three of them were unmasked. Their eyes were burned red and watery with tears.

And their faces were exposed. 

Y/N’s stomach dropped as she saw Dick flip to them and attack.

But she had a job to do and started tapping away on the high-tech watch around her wrist. She was walking backwards, staying away from the fight, just as Dick had instructed. 

But then she backed into a body.

“Fuck,” Y/N muttered as she froze and her eyes widened in panic.

She whipped around to find a Talon with his sword drawn.

Then other blurs were dropping down from the banisters, more were joining the fight.

Y/N reached for both of her guns and was ready to start firing – despite that not benefiting her in the slightest bit last time.

But before she could take even one shot, someone dropped in front of her protectively.

Bruce was a like a wall of shadow, blocking Y/N from the enemy.

“Run, Y/N.” He demanded without breaking eye contact with his opponent.

She knew better than to fight him on it. This was what they had agreed upon: Y/N was to be used as bait and do her job, then get the hell out.

“No matter what you hear or see, you run like hell,” Dick had told her. His eyes had been desperate and his grip on her shoulders had been tight. Y/N hadn’t been able to find it in her to do anything but give a slow nod.

Barely a second passed after Bruce’s warning before multiple Talons were on him. But Bruce was a worthy opponent and was able to distract them enough for Y/N to get away.

She ran for the nearest exit.

But the warehouse was now crawling with Talons.

Two more blocked her path, making her screech to a stop and turn around, facing Jason.

“Get down,” he told her calmly as he raised two guns.

She dove to the ground and covered her ears as Jason cleared out his ammo.

Without waiting for further instruct, Y/N jumped back onto her feet and tried to find the least chaotic route out.

Tim was using his bow staff almost like a windmill, taking out multiple Talons at a time with just a simple swing.

Y/N looked across the warehouse to see Damian and Dick fighting alongside each other. Despite Damian’s capabilities, Dick couldn’t help but look out for the boy, and he was never far from his side during a fight.

Damian slashed down opponent after opponent with his Katana sword. Meanwhile, Dick had the boy’s back, using his escrima sticks and countless acrobatic kicks and flips.

They were all holding their own, which further urged Y/N to get out of the way.

‘Run, Y/N. Run!’ Her brain screamed at her.

She spotted her opening and sprinted for it.

With only a few yards to go, Y/N felt a sting in the back of her leg.

No.

It was more than a sting. It was a lightning strike of pain that threw her to the floor.

As she sat up, Y/N looked up to see that a knife had clattered to the floor with blood staining it. Her blood.

Then she looked at the back of her thigh to see that she was bleeding from an open wound. It could’ve been worse. The knife could’ve embedded into her muscle and flesh. But she had gotten away with a graze – but one that brought her to the ground.

It all happened so quickly.

One moment Y/N was looking at the blood dripping from her leg. And the next, there was a Talon standing above her – unmasked – with his sword about to swing down on her.

Y/N winced and shielded herself as best as she could. But there was no saving her from such a blade – and a blade wielded by a Talon of The Court.

Just when Y/N thought she’d feel the sword strike her, a presence flew between them.

Y/N opened her eyes when she heard the sound of metal clashing with metal.

Bruce’s forearms were crossed into an X, with his gauntlets intercepting the Talon’s sword swing.

Y/N crawled back to get out of the way, ignoring the screaming pain from her leg.

All she could do was watch as Bruce now fought the Talon one on one. They wielded two katana swords – one in each hand.

Meanwhile, Bruce was using his gauntlets and therefore could really only be on the defense.

It was clear that he was trying to disarm them and make the fight even.

Eventually, through many complicated maneuvers, Bruce knocked one of the swords out of the Talon’s grip. He picked it up.

Y/N didn’t know why it was so surprising to see Bruce wield a katana. Of course he had been trained in sword fighting. That just wasn’t his chosen weapon. It didn’t stop her from being amazed by his skill with the blade. 

But Bruce was getting tired. Y/N could see it.

His movements were still quick, but they had slowed since the beginning of this particular fight.

Y/N managed to clench her teeth and fight through the pain of her leg, slowly bringing herself to a standing position.

But just as she did so, Bruce’s sword was knocked clear out of his hands and the Talon followed it with a kick to Bruce’s abdomen and a punch to his face.

Y/N’s stomach dropped at seeing the infamous Batman get knocked to the ground.

Of all the footage she’d seen, Batman always seemed to have the upper hand. She never doubted that he was going to win a fight – and he was going to do so without killing the enemy, which as always impressive.

“Get up, get up,” Y/N hissed to herself as she watched Bruce struggle to get back on his feet.

“So much time spent protecting her,” the Talon patronized. “Such a waste.”

He landed yet another punch across Bruce’s face. A punch that was harder than anything Y/N had seen before. 

And it knocked Bruce out cold.

Y/N felt it – the death in the air.

Time seemed to slow.

She was about to watch Batman get slaughtered right in front of her.

Her eyes raced around her, looking for one of the boys to call for help or anything that could be used as a distraction. But Dick and Damian were suddenly being overpowered. Tim wasn’t even in Y/N’s eyesight. And Jason was failing to shoot every Talon that surrounded him.

Then Y/N saw the katana that had been ripped from Bruce’s grip. It lay just a foot away from her.

Without thinking, Y/N picked it up.

She lunged forward just as the Talon was bringing his sword down to finish Bruce.

With just an inch away from his victim, Y/N’s sword intercepted the final attack.

The Talon gaze whipped to her. And Bruce was oblivious to his life being saved.

Y/N’s eyes widened, realizing she acted without any sort of plan. And now she had the Talon’s full attention and she had no clue how to wield a sword of any kind – or how to physically offend herself to any degree. 

“You have been a nuisance long enough,” the Talon growled.

“Oh, but I’m not even done yet,” Y/N smirked wickedly.

He tilted his head to the side, choosing to amuse her instead of strike her down immediately.

“You really think I can hack the oldest and most powerful secret, but not every major news network in the country?” She asked offensively.

But then she smiled and tapped a button on her watch.

The screens in the warehouse flickered to life and their volume was turned all the way up.

Everyone ceased their fighting.

Each screen showed that every network was hacked, their signals interrupted with Y/N’s own broadcast.

It was live footage from inside the top secret base for The Court of Owls. All of its members were unmasked, either being gathered by FBI and Gotham PD or pinned to the floor, getting handcuffed.

“That’s not possible,” the Talon gasped.

Y/N tapped her watch and a tiny drone, almost the size of a bumblebee zoomed in front of his face. Then his face was being broadcasted across the world.

“Say hello to America, Calvin Rose,” Y/N announced as her face-recognition system instantly identified him and his name appeared on her watch.

Then the camera moved to another unmasked Talon in the warehouse. “William Cobb,” Y/N announced, adding his name to the screen when he appeared.

As her footage was live-streaming on all major networks, the names of each member were appearing on the screen as well.

Calvin Rose screamed in frustration. 

“Detonate the bomb!” He yelled to his men.

“You mean the bomb you first threatened me with?” Y/N cooed.

He whipped back around to glare at her, not understanding her meaning.

“You really think we wouldn’t be able to find it? After you gave us weeks to track it down?” She teased. “The bomb is in the possession of the FBI, safely neutralized. But not before I helped them reverse trace a signal back to the detonator.”

They knew they lost. But they had not only lost, they had been discovered.

There would be no recovering from such exposure.

And Y/N hadn’t even told them about all the evidence she had stored that tied The Court of Owls to every corrupt act they had performed in the last 20 years.

Sirens suddenly blared in the distance.

All the boys had stopped to look at Y/N, realizing that their plan was coming together.

“You lost,” Y/N declared as she lowered the sword to her side. “And they’re coming for you, too.”

That was finally what set him off.

He growled before stomping to her.

Y/N was surprised by this new attack and quickly stepped backwards, but not nearly fast enough. 

In one motion, he grabbed Y/N by the neck with one hand, lifting her off the ground with his sheer strength and rage.

Not a second later, he shoved his sword into her abdomen.

It seemed like the sound of metal cutting flesh and muscle echoed through the entire warehouse.

“No!” Dick screamed shoving his way across the warehouse to get to her.

In the same moment, Y/N was dropped to the ground like a rag doll.

Chaos had erupted around her, a new fight had begun. But she heard none of it.

Her hands warmed from the blood that was leaking from her abdomen.

The pain was something different to her.

She couldn’t even put a number on how many times her father beat her to a pulp. Nothing could ever compare to the pain of being physically hurt by the person who was supposed to love you the most in the world. This was nothing.

Y/N was just happy she’d die doing something good for the world. A final act of sorts.

Just as she was about to succumb to the tired and dark feeling threatening to envelop her, she felt a warm presence next to her.

“Y/N!” Dick yelled when he reached her side. “You’re OK.” His voice started to shake. “You’re gonna be OK. Y/N, I need you to hold on.”

Police and FBI agents flooded the warehouse as Dick pulled Y/N into his arms.

Y/N looked up to see tears had filled his eyes.

“It’s OK, Dick.” She tried to tell him. “I’ll be fine. I’m fine.”

But when she reached up to cup his cheek, she stained his skin with her own blood.

Y/N was starting to lose her grip on life.

She swore she could feel Jason and Damian’s presence move her side, and then hear Tim talking to the cops. But she could also be imagining it. She could be imagining it all. Maybe she had already died and this was just how she had wanted to go, her mind giving her that final wish.

Things went from being so loud and warm to cold and silent.

--------------------------

Part 10

I edited this really quick. And for that, I apologize. 

[lockefanfic]

White Silk

Parts One, Two, and Three of this series of oneshots.

-

There were only few moments in your life when you truly cared about the weather.

Once when your much-anticipated camping trip was spent inside your tents hiding from a torrential downpour. Another time when your apartment’s air conditioning broke down during an unprecedented heat wave. A final time when icy roads brought you close to you wrapping your car around a tree.

This was another one of those moments. Outside, what seemed like the storm of the century battered the building relentlessly, turning the day into a dark, stormy mess.

Inside, however, Lee Jieun somehow still managed to shine.

She was utterly beautiful - no, beautiful seemed inadequate to describe the sight. She stands with her back half turned to you, her perfect silhouette framed by the window. And while it is dark and stormy outside, she somehow still manages to glow, her very presence seeming to battle against the gloom that pervaded the rest of the day, seeming to defy it, seeming to tell it “No, your rain and clouds will not dim my brightness.”

She turns when you enter the room - and time slows to a crawl. It was like one of those moments in the movies when the female lead meets the male lead for the first time. As she turns her head, her hair, unstyled and seemingly also unbrushed but somehow still flawless, whips carelessly over her bare shoulder, almost as if in slow motion - a shampoo commercial come to life. 

Wrapped around her lithe, thin frame is a white silk dress. Made of the finest of materials and woven by the most talented of seamstresses, it is almost a work of art in and of itself - but without the young woman on whom it draped it is little more than a useless scrap of overpriced fabric. No, the woman made the dress, and not the other way around. It is she that makes the dress beautiful.

From the second you met her so many years ago you’d thought she was the most beautiful woman you’d ever met - but right now, as a bride on her wedding day, you knew she’d never been more beautiful. All women are beautiful - but on their wedding day they glow just a little brighter.

Jieun’s eyes meet yours. A glimpse of a surprised reaction - one she quickly hides. She opens her mouth to speak, and you expect some eloquent, powerful observation on the storm raging outside, and how it will not affect her spirits.

“I need some fucking alcohol,” she spits.

You smirk a little at her first words of the day to you. She looked like a princess, but sometimes she had the tongue of a sailor.

“Sorry,” you answer as you step towards her, “there’s no bar on the premises, unfortunately, although I hear the reception will have one. Cash bar, though, so best hit up an ATM before arriving.”

Jieun sighs and returns her attention to staring out the window. You feel the room get a little dimmer as she takes her attention away from you.

“Of course not. Nothing today can go right, apparently.”

You stand beside her, staring out the same window at the angry grey skies and the seemingly endless torrential downpour.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she says after a few shared seconds watching the raindrops trace random patterns on the glass.

“You’re not exactly kicking me out.”

Jieun scoffs. “Well everything else today is going horribly wrong so yeah, why the hell not have you show up?”

“What else is going wrong, exactly?”

“The photographer came down with a cold, so the best we can muster is my cousin and his fucking iPhone. The hair and makeup artist I hired is stuck in traffic on the other side of the city and probably won’t make it here on time, which is why I currently look like a fucking college student on the wrong end of a weed bender. The florist thought the wedding was tomorrow, so the only flowers we have are those sad looking almost-dead bouquets from the fucking gas station. Oh, and the reception hall had a goddamn double booking and neglected to tell us that the banquet hall won’t be available until 10pm, once the fucking high school math olympics has finished its awards ceremony!”

You frown. There wasn’t really much you could do to ameliorate the situation.

“Clusterfuck and a half,” you state.

“Clusterfuck and three quarters,” she counters, “coming real close to two full clusterfucks. Compared to all the bullshit that’s already gone down today, yeah, fuck it, you may as well be here, even when you very clearly shouldn’t be. I’m getting married today, if you didn’t notice.”

You glance over to her for the first time, and even though she is currently wearing a frown on her cute little features, you are nonetheless still struck by her beauty. Such a cheesy thing to admit to - being awestruck by a woman. It was something that surely only happened in books and movies and on Netflix; surely in real life no woman could ever be so beautiful as to render a man temporarily physically paralyzed.

But Lee Jieun had a way of doing that to you. She did it when she walked into the busy downtown Korean barbeque place that your mutual friend had dragged her to on that fateful day so many years ago. She did it when she just so happened to sit next to you, and again when she reached out her slim, pale hand and introduced herself with a cute handshake and a blinding smile. 

And she did it every single day you’d met her since. Today was no different, even if it was one of the most important days of her life.

“I overheard one of the bridesmaids saying you weren’t doing so well,” you say. “I had to make sure you were going to make it up the aisle.”

“Well I feel nauseous as fuck at the moment so I might make it up there only to barf all over the goddamn groom when I get to the altar.”

“What a lucky guy.”

“Damn straight. He gets to spend his entire life boning this hot piece,” she says with an exaggerated flourish of her hand over her body that was more sarcastic than serious, a deadpan frown on her face.

“I’m jealous,” you say.

Jieun buries her face in her hands, where she lets out a long sigh.

“Are you sure you don’t have a shot of soju in your jacket or something?”

“No,” you say. “I do have these, though.”

“I swear to god if you’re referring to your balls I’m gonna punch-”

When she lifts her head from her hands, she finds you with your arms wide open and the cheesiest of smiles on your face.

It begins slowly - just a slight crack of an upward tilt at the corners of her mouth, like a small ray of light piercing dark clouds. Eventually her soft pink lips and cute cheeks follow suit, and soon the metaphorical clouds part, her face surrendering to the reluctant smile and short chuckle that she allows to escape her mouth along with an adorable little snort.

She steps forward into your embrace, and you wrap your arms tightly around each other.

“You’ve always been there for me,” she says, her words muffled by your chest.

“I always will be.”

“Even when I’m married?”

“Especially when you’re married. Married guys can be dicks.”

Jieun chuckles again, and the soft vibration of her laugh against your chest makes your heart sing. She presses herself closer against you, as though she were fleeing from the accumulating problems of the day and had just found a hiding spot in your arms.

“How much time do I have?” she asks, barely audible.

“About an hour or so, I’d say,” you reply. Only a few of the guests had arrived and the groomsmen and bridesmaids were occupied with putting out the myriad of little fires that came up during weddings. There was still some time to yourselves before the start of the show.

“Then kiss me,” she says, lifting her head from your chest.

Time slows again. Time moves slowly, almost incrementally slowly, as you bend your head to kiss her.

It felt so wrong, so dangerous - but it also felt so right, so perfect. You should not have been there, not on her wedding day, mere minutes before she was to walk down the aisle. You could have, and perhaps should have, been anywhere but here.

But Jieun had always had that hold over you. You didn’t think yourself whipped for any other woman in your life, but when Jieun called you answered - no questions asked. You hated yourself for it sometimes, hated that a woman could have such overwhelming control over you, could have you wrapped around her finger like she did. 

But one smile - and sometimes, one kiss - was all it took to remind you why you did it: you were in love with her.

The kiss deepens, becoming something more passionate, more needy. Tongues begin to explore familiar mouths and find their counterparts willing and ready to touch and taste. Hands tighten around torsos. Hips press against hips. The bride tries to find solace from a day of ruined plans in the kiss and embrace of a man that meant so much to her.

You are happy to leave it there - merely seeing her was already probably a mistake - but Jieun was never one to stop things she had started. She breaks the kiss and pulls at the back of your head until your mouth is on her neck, and you begin devouring the sweet, pale flesh there with your hungry lips and tongue. She cranes her neck up and back, offering up more of herself to you.

Her hands slip between your bodies to work at your belt, which she quickly undoes.

“Here..?” you manage to gasp in between kisses. She was taking your breath away, again, although this time for another reason.

“Here,” she snaps, as though she were surprised you would even dare to ask, “Everything else is going wrong. I need this now. I need you now. Fuck me like you always do. One last time.”

Before you could say anything further she has you out of your boxers, her slim fingers suddenly cold and chilly around your quickly hardening shaft. Soon she has you at full stiffness. It doesn’t take you long. It never did. Especially not now, given the circumstances. Given the knowledge that the hand wrapped around your shaft and pumping it up and down would soon have a shiny diamond ring on it for the rest of her life.

You groan into her neck as the pleasure she is conjuring inside your body begins to overtake your senses. You feel her cheeks move against the side of your face - a wicked smile on an angel’s lips.

You are content to let her have her way with you, but you are reminded of her request - to fuck her the way you always did. And when you fucked, you were the one in control. Her innocent, girl-next-door exterior belied the fact that she loved to be taken, loved to be called names and used - and you weren’t one to disappoint her, even today, on this most important of days. You hated yourself sometimes for how much control she had over you in your day-to-day life; but you relished the fact that in your most intimate moments the roles were very much reversed.

You bring your hands to her shoulders and turn her around until she is facing the wall. She lets out a gasp of surprise - one that turns into a low moan as you press yourself, and your stiff shaft, against her. She braces herself against the glass, her forearms and palms flat against it.

Your hands, still on her shoulders, trace the top edge of the perfect white dress wrapped around her like a second skin. When they reach the front of her dress, you grasp the top edge and pull downward.

Jieun gasps as you pull the dress down to expose her breasts, and you grin devilishly over her shoulder as you watch her reflection in the glass as her small, perfect round mounds bounce free from their silk prison. Before she can react further your hands are already on them, squeezing them none too gently, enjoying the feel of her body molding itself into your hands, her already stiffened nipples poking between your fingers.

“You gonna let me fuck you on your wedding day, Jieun?” you hiss into her ear.

“Fuck yes,” she hisses, her breath a mist upon the glass, “I want you to fuck me right fucking now.”. She reaches down, pulling her long, flowing skirt up to bunch it around her waist. It takes her a while - her skirt is so long - but soon the pale, perfect round cheeks of her pert little ass are laid bare, your cock pressing impatiently against her lower back. 

You smirk at the sight of her, the perfect little bride on her wedding day, now a wanton, needy little thing, begging for it, begging to be fucked in a dress that was supposed to symbolize her innocence with its pure color. She wasn’t even wearing underwear, as though she knew this would happen, was expecting to be fucked wearing this dress.

“Fuck me,” she snaps, as though every moment you kept her waiting was making her more and more upset. “Fuck me please. I’m so wet for you.”

“Such a slutty little bride,” you observe. ‘So wet and hot already, and I’ve barely touched you.” You pinch her nipples. She sighs. You grin at the sight of her in her pristine white dress, an angel engaged in an act that was not at all angelic.

“Fuck yes. I’m such a slut. Such a slutty little bride. Now fuck me!”

“You want to get fucked against this glass in your pretty little white wedding dress?”

“Mmmm!” Jieun gasps, every sound that leaves her throat dripping now with need, “Please, fuck me now. Fuck this bride’s tight little pussy until you cum in it.”

You let go of her breasts, but not before giving her stiff nubs one last pinch that elicits a sharp gasp from her throat. Your right hand drifts to your cock, you line up your tip with her entrance, and within moments you slip inside Lee Jieun’s body.

You’d had her plenty of times, but today is different - and you wonder if perhaps the circumstances and the sheer audacity of what you were doing somehow added to the way she felt around you. She was slick and hot and wet and so, so very tight. It almost drove you insane to be inside her. Judging by the way her fingers curled against the hard glass, seeking something to claw into as she is filled with your cock - Jieun felt the same.

“Fuck,” she hisses, the curse word leaving her mouth in a breathy sigh. You both take a moment to savor the sensations - hers of being filled, yours of her wet, hot body wrapping itself around your stiff, aching shaft.

You don’t waste any time. You had little to waste, nor did you have any desire to deny yourself the pleasure her body promised. When you withdraw your shaft from between her round cheeks to find it glistening with her juices, you quickly drive yourself back in - this time to the hilt.

Soon you are fucking Lee Jieun against the glass, her naked breasts pressed against it, stiff nipples crushed against the cold surface as she is taken roughly, your cock pumping in and out of her wet, slick pussy at a frantic pace. 

If she had problems with the liberties you were taking on her body she was not showing it. Her reactions told you much the opposite - that she loved each thrust into her needy pussy, loved feeling you piston in and out of her at the quick, hard pace you had set for yourselves.

“Oh my… oh my fucking god,” she hisses, her face pressed now against the glass, a soft mist forming on it with each hot breath that leaves her lips. “Fuck me, fuck me like this.”

You are almost afraid to look down, almost afraid to watch your cock pump in and out of her needy body - but you eventually tear your eyes from her pleasure-stricken face to glance down between your torsos.

Her juices are flowing freely, lathering your stiff shaft with a thick sheen of her slick, glistening  wetness. Her lips grip every inch of your shaft, parting softly to welcome it in with each thrust, grasping it tightly with each withdrawal as though not wanting to let it go. You reach down and squeeze her tight little ass with both hands, filling your hands with her cheeks, parting them slightly to give you a better view of each thrust of your cock into her slick, wet pussy.

“Oh… oh fuck!” she gasps as you reach a new depth, bottoming out your thrusts now as you fill her with every inch of you, filling the mewling young bride as deeply as you could with stiff cock. 

“Fucking take my cock, Jieun,” you snap, bringing your hand up to her chin to tilt it toward you. “Fucking take it.”

“Y-yes! Fuck me… I’m yours. I’m yours!”

The filth of her words, of her submission to you, would have been pleasurable any other time. But now, mere minutes from her marriage - it meant something more, something more perverse - and something more deliciously sinful.

You reach around her torso to grasp a round breast with your free hand, finding her stiff nipple and teasing it at first before pinching and twisting the sensitive bud. You turn her face toward you with the hand on her chin, wanting to watch as every thrust into her body twisted her small, adorable face with little spasms of pleasure. For a few long, delicious minutes you fuck the mewling, squirming young bride against the glass, the pleasure you both found in each others’ bodies far outweighing the filthy wickedness of your act.

“Is your husband going to fuck you like this every single day? Fuck your needy, slutty little pussy whenever he wants?”

“Y-yes!” she manages to gasp, her words interrupted by each thrust of your cock into her juicy pussy, “Yes… whenever… wherever… however he wants!”

“And you want my cum dripping down your legs while you walk down the aisle? While you get married?”

“Yes! Oh fuck please I want it, I want your cum inside me, I want it dripping out of my pussy oh please oh fuck, cum inside me oh fuck cum inside me please, fill my pussy, fill me with cum, fuck me, fuck me, oh, oh I’m cumming, oh--!”

You always dreaded Jieun’s orgasm during sex, because it was so powerful, so overwhelming -  not only for her, but for the both of you. And it usually meant that you came soon after.

Jieun turns into a mewling, quivering mess of flesh, held up against the glass only by your hands on her chin and breast - and the cock still pistoning in and out of her pulsating pussy. You fuck her through her orgasm even as you feel your own beckoning, concentrating on each thrust, pushing yourself as deep as you can inside the young bride before pulling out only far enough to thrust right back inside her.

The random pulsating of her slick pussy, the wordless cries of pleasure brought upon her by her orgasm, and the soft breast in your hand - it all combined to push you dangerously close to the edge. But the thought of it - of fucking this needy young woman mere moments before her wedding - and at her demand, no less - it pushed you right over it.

You push yourself as deep inside her as you can go before you finally allow your orgasm to overtake your senses. Your mind tunnels, becoming focused solely on your pulsating cock as it spurts hot, thick semen deep inside Jieun’s tightly gripping pussy. The bride gasps - a soft, lustful sound - with each rope of cum that splashes into her depths, each stream further adding to the mess you’d made inside her body.

You both spend a long minute trying your best to piece your realities back together after your respective orgasms have shattered it, both reduced to heavily breathing, barely standing masses of suddenly weak flesh. It was a quick little session - not more than a few minutes from her first kiss to your mutual orgasm - but it still left you both exhausted, chests heaving in an attempt to refill lungs drained of air.

You reach up, tilt her chin to yours once more, and you give her a kiss - one that was more affectionate than perhaps either of you were ready for, but one you find her returning willingly and passionately.

Slowly you draw your softening shaft out of her body, and Jieun tries her best to clean herself up and look presentable, doing her best to look as though she didn’t just have rough sex minutes before walking down the aisle.

There is a knock on the door. It opens just wide enough for the maid of honor to poke her head inside - and you are thankful that she didn’t decide to do so a few minutes earlier, lest she catch you fucking the bride against the glass. She gives you a quizzical look.

“Isn’t it bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding?” she asks.

“I think we’ve used up all our bad luck for today, Nayeon,” Jieun answers. “What’s a little more bullshit on top of the shit sundae that is our wedding plans?”

Nayeon frowns, confused by the bride’s nonchalance towards the day’s ruined plans. “Aish. Anyway, the makeup lady is here. And one of the groomsmen managed to track down a photographer. One of you should talk to him.”

“Thank you, Nayeon. We’ll just be a few minutes,” you reply.

The maid of honor gives you both a look before she closes the door behind her.

“I can’t believe we just did that,” Jieun says.

“Me neither.”

“I’ll see you up there. You’re walking down that aisle first. Try not to trip.”

“Try not to drip.”

Jieun gives you a punch in the arm, but her hand lingers there for a moment, before sliding down and grasping your hand in hers.

“I love you,” she says.

“And I, you,” you reply. 

You kiss her, and the peck on the lips turns into a soft but passionate kiss. She gives one last look out the window and the cloudy, stormy weather that continued unabated outside, although it all seemed to matter a little less to the both of you.

“Let’s go get married,” she says, the smile on her lips all the sunshine you ever needed.

-

Author’s Note: Short but hopefully sweet. :) I had to sneak in an “I, you” (IU) reference in there somewhere lol.

So I felt kind of bad about the way Green Silk ended and wanted to have a similar twist but this time with a happy ending lol. Also lol at maid of honor Nayeon, I bet being IU’s maid of honor would be a dream come true for her haha.

[auroracalisto]

in life and death

summary: in the events of dark phoenix, the reader is reunited with her twin brother charles, even though she tried her hardest to stay away from him after their mother sent her away and explained to charles that she had died, all the while trying to not let erik freak out when he realizes that he is, indeed, in love with someone else related to charles.  

pairing: erik lehnsherr x female reader, twin! charles x twin! reader

word count: 2k words

warnings: canon divergence, reader is charles twin (i said she vaguely looks like him, but i don’t describe any physical appearance other than that), cussing, typical jean grey shit, not any actual violence, sibling banter towards the end, lots of death mentions, usage of mutation abilities (reader is able to manipulate anatomy, and in a way, place “blocks” in people’s minds for certain things, therefore manipulating their anatomy to block off certain parts of their memories), abusive relationship with reader’s mother in this for sure, talks of funeral and gravestone.  

a/n: i still haven’t watched dark phoenix so i took some creative liberty and loosely read the wikipedia page.  also, this was written as a request for @nuclearpizza84​.  i hope you enjoy :) if it’s not to your liking, please be sure to let me know and i’ll see what i can do!

The red haired woman had just appeared, introducing herself as Jean Grey.  Erik immediately welcomed her into your home, without batting an eye your way.  An uneasy feeling washed throughout your body, but you thought nothing of it until Jean started asking Erik for his help—that she had once again done something bad, and she didn’t know how to fix it. 

Your fingers tapped repeatedly on your leg as you watched Erik from where you sat.  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” you mumbled, watching him.  Erik always tended to help any of those who came to his door.  While not necessarily a bad thing, sometimes it was.  With times like this, you knew that there was something wrong. 

Jean knew what you were thinking—your discomfort with her was practically radiating off of your body.  But she didn’t care.  She didn’t come here for your help.  She didn’t even know who you were, other than the fact that you looked strangely similar to Professor Xavier.  She had come for Erik, knowing that in the past, he had been rogue himself and had dealt with Charles.  She had nowhere else to go, other than Genosha.  The only place where mutants could go for refuge, if they were running from even the school. 

Erik sighed softly at you.  He reached over and gently took your hand.  “I know Jean.  I’m going to help her,” he said.  “I’ve no reason to turn her away.”

You just nodded, casting a glance towards the woman.  Nothing more was said between you and your fiancée.  You just watched, listening to them talk.  Jean kept looking in your direction, and you didn’t quite understand why.  Perhaps it was best that Charles did not know where you were—then, people like Jean wouldn’t come knocking on your door, asking for your brother’s help when you hadn’t been around him in years.  You stayed in your mind for some time, eventually standing up to go and sit your glass of water back in the kitchen. 

That was, until the sound of helicopters came from outside of your home.  You tensed.  That didn’t happen often, unless something was wrong.  You looked straight at Jean. 

“What are they here for?” you asked the woman. 

She didn’t answer, going to the door.  She opened it up, looking at what was going on.  Your heart pounded in your chest. 

“Erik,” you spoke, walking over to your lover. 

The speaker attached to one of the helicopters, proclaiming that Jean needed to peacefully surrender—or else, of course, they would use force. 

When Jean attacked, you knew it was over.  Erik wouldn’t help—something that you were hoping would happen, but you never knew how soon it would have happened.  Fate just seemed to be on your side at that moment, but you knew that it was only a matter of time before Erik decided to uproot you and return to America, helping your brother out with yet another deadly endeavor—even if Erik had no idea that the two of you were actually related.  With your ability, you had made it to where Charles would not recognize you, and you made sure that Erik would never be able to make out the similarities that you and your twin shared.  It was only right—after years of your brother believing you were dead; you did not want to bring that raining down on his shoulders.

—

The news reached the mutant refuge, and Erik did not talk to you for some time.  Raven was dead, and she had been killed by Jean herself.  Erik was angry.  He had once loved Raven—you knew of this.  It wasn’t hard to see how he still cared for his friend, especially in a moment like this.  Who wouldn’t still care for someone they spent so long with?  You understood where his anger came from, and you stayed there, waiting for him to say something to you—anything. 

In his fit of rage, Erik looked you dead in the eye.  “I’ll kill her.”

You parted your lips to talk, but you didn’t know what to say that would calm him.  You reached out and took his hand.  “We can’t go alone.  You saw how powerful she was…”

There was no point in trying to stop him.  Once Erik had something in his mind, it took him a long time to detach himself from it. 

“That’s fine by me,” he snarled, taking in a deep breath.  “Pack a bag.  We’re leaving, tonight.”

—

Being surrounded by other mutants, you never once thought that you would have to look out for familiar faces.  But Charles stood there, trying to stop people from fighting. 

“There is no point in it,” you heard him say from a distance.  “You’re only hurting yourselves by fighting each other.”

You scoffed.  He was always like that—even when you were children.

That being said, it had been years since you last saw him.  The mental block you applied to him made it to where he would never be able to recognize you as his sister.

At a young age, your mother had split the two of you apart, recognizing that two children exactly alike had not been something she wanted.  So, she kept the boy, and got rid of the girl, quickly explaining to Charles that his sister was dead.  But now, standing there, you wondered why he never came to find you.  You were obviously alive, and you knew you weren’t making it easy on him—but why in the world had he never even tried? 

Charles never once came to Erik, asking for help to find you.  You were alive and well, that much was given.  A part of you also remembered how your mother was.  It was likely that she decided to make things easier on Charles and instead of saying she just gave you away, you had died.  In a moment of self-pity, you wondered if your mother had made you a fake grave.  Maybe you should visit it one day, see if Charles visited it often. 

Erik had long run inside the building that Jean had ran into earlier.  Charles had tried to talk some sense into him, but to no avail. 

And for a moment, you felt your block on Charles slipping.  You were tired.  And the fact that you were so close to him did not help.  Your block was breaking.  His eyes locked with yours and immediately, he recognized you.  Of course, he did. 

“Oh shit,” you breathed out. 

“[Your name]?” Charles blinked slowly, staring at you in disbelief.  “How are you here?  What—”

“Don’t.”

“What—what do you mean, don’t?  How are you here?  I’ve—you’re dead,” he squeezed his eyes shut.

You sighed softly.  “I’m very much alive, Charles.”

“But mother said—”

“—mother said a lot of things.”

Charles pursed his lips.  You were right. 

“Alright.  We can talk about this later.  But please.  We need to help Jean, not hurt her.  She’s scared.  She doesn’t understand how to control what’s going on.  She hasn’t meant to hurt anyone—”

“—she killed your sister,” you said.  You knew all about how Raven was his adopted sister.  Nothing against her, of course.  It was all your mother’s doing.  Who knew that Erik always had a thing for people related to Charles?

He took in a deep breath.  “Yes.  She killed who I grew up with as a sister. But she did not mean to.  We did not know how to handle her.”

“Oh, and what changed?”

“Being this way is not going to help anyone.  She is going to kill Erik, unless we all agree to stop—”

“—sorry, Charles, no can do.”

—

Time seemed to speed up, and hours promptly passed by.  The alien, Vuk tried her hardest to get everything from Jean.  In the process, disaster struck. 

You had just reunited with Erik when you were struck in the shoulder with a stun weapon.  As you fell to the ground, you heard Erik shout.  Then, everything went black.

Waking up, you slowly took in your surroundings.  You were on a train.  Without a clue where you were heading, you took the time to breathe deep.  Erik was to your right.  You could feel him moving around—he must have already been awake, and now, he was struggling to get out of the restraints. 

Charles sat straight across from you, his eyes dead set in a glare pointed at the ground. 

You cleared your throat, resting your head on the wall behind you.  “Charles.”

He said nothing.  

You looked over at Erik, who shrugged.  “He’s been silent ever since we were captured.”

“Were you not shot—”

“—no.  Collar.  You’ve got one now, too.”

You squeezed your eyes shut.

“They put it on me while I aided you,” he chuckled softly.  “I suppose it is my own fault…”

“None of this would have happened had you allowed me to talk some sense into her,” Charles spoke, looking up at his old friend.  “Had you not attacked her; she would have been calm.  She was scared, Erik.  I’m sure she still is.  I can feel her.  She is at war with herself, and you have only aided in making her feel worse.”

“Could you feel me?” you asked.

“Quite impossible when you make it difficult for me to recognize you,” Charles immediately recounted.  “How did you manage that?  You’ve the ability to just manipulate minds?  Nothing more, nothing less?  I only felt you when your block dissolved.  What does it take for it to do that?”

Charles was angry.

You stared him down.  He returned your gaze.

For a set of twins that had been apart for decades at this point, you acted as if you had never once been split up. 

“I can alter anatomy.”

“Can you now?” he scoffed.  “You know.  I would have thought that perhaps you would understand that not everyone is inherently evil.  She is still good, [Your name].”

“Why would I understand that?”

Charles sighed.  “Despite not being able to recognize you while you still had that going on, had I just focused, I could read your mind.  You’ve been engaged for how long, Erik?  To my sister?”

Erik blinked rapidly.  “What?”

This, was of course, news to him.  You never said anything about it.  Charles was about to open a new can of worms that would blow up in your face after all of this was said and done. 

“Nothing,” you shot at Erik.  “It’s nothing.  Don’t worry about it.”

“You’re siblings?” Erik asked. 

“Stop it,” you groaned. 

Charles clenched his jaw and he looked away from you. 

“Look,” you began, frowning.  “I’m sorry.  I should have reached out to you sooner.  More specifically, when I heard that mother died.  But I didn’t.  I didn’t know where to start looking—”

“—I never left the house.”

You looked towards the floor.  “Now I know that.  I should have come sooner.  I should have told Erik and allowed him to tell you.  But I thought that it would hurt more, knowing that mom just lied to us.  To you, really.”

“She told me that you died.  She set up an actual funeral, fit with a coffin and a headstone.  She really played the part,” Charles said.

“I wondered that earlier, but now that you tell me that, it hurts a lot more,” you tried to laugh, as the realization that your mother probably hated you with every fiber in her ran through your head.  “I’m sorry.  I’m sorry it took… whatever the hell this is for you to realize that I’m still very much alive.”

“Perhaps we can speak about this later,” Charles began.  “We should focus on getting out of here, before something worse happens.”

And of course, Charles had to speak it into existence.  A loud, deafening bang nearly made you scream. 

The aliens were back—and this time, they weren’t about to go easy on anyone. 

[aalissy]

Reverse Crush

Reverse crushhhh!! One of my faveeee tropes haha! I hope that you guys like it too <3. Lemme know what you think!! 

AO3

Marinette sighed dreamily, flopping face down onto her bed as a huge smile beamed across her face. Her kwami flitted nearby, laughing quietly as she watched the young girl. Marinette dropped her chin on her hands, murmuring, “Did you see him today, Tikki? Wasn’t he just amazing? I just love him so much.” 

She dissolved into a fit of giggles, hiding her blushing face into her hands as she squealed. Her legs kicked behind her excitedly, already replaying the akuma attack in her mind as she thought over their interaction. How could he be so perfect? 

Tikki shook her head at her fondly before saying, “Yes, Marinette, I did see Chat Noir today. I’m very proud of you, too. You managed to speak normally to him, too. That’s a great sign of improvement.”

She lifted her head back up, glaring at her kwami whose eyes were glimmering back at her teasingly. Marinette was too giddy to argue, however, and she simply flipped over onto her back, staring up at her ceiling with a dopey smile on her face. She only snapped out of her daydreams when TIkki hovered above her face, waving a hand at her. 

“You’re daydreaming again, Marinette,” she said, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I know!” She squealed, slapping her palms to her cheeks as another happy giggle left her. Flushing darkly, she looked over at the wall of pictures she had of Ladybug and Chat. Marinette then smiled softly at her favorite picture. It was one Alya had taken for her personal Instagram account. She and Chat had been out on patrol when it started raining, forcing them both underneath the same umbrella. His eyes were focused on her in the picture and she wondered what he could possibly be thinking about. Was it possible for him to like her back? Could he have feelings for his clumsy, little bug?

Sighing forlornly, Marinette trailed her fingers delicately over his cheek, wishing she could do that in real life. Turning to face the ceiling once again, she blinked in confusion when she heard a light thump on her balcony. Quickly, she shot her gaze over to Tikki and the kwami immediately took the hint, hiding inside the miracle box she had carefully hidden. Pushing herself up and off the bed, she carefully opened her trapdoor, her hand clenched into a tight fist just in case.

Instead of seeing an akuma or a burglar attempting to rob her, however, she instead saw the slouched form of her partner. He was leaning against her balcony, his ears drooped over his head as he stared out at the setting sun. Marinette’s heart stumbled in her chest as she pulled herself up, tilting her head at him in confusion. “Chat Noir? W-what, um, what are you doing here?”

Immediately, he perked up, whirling around to face her with a tight, forced smile. She instantly felt herself soften, her nervousness disappearing to be replaced with worry. Why did her kitty look so sad? 

“Purrincess, fancy seeing you here,” Chat responded with a false, chipper voice. 

Marinette frowned, scolding the butterflies she felt in her chest after he called her princess. Now wasn’t really the time for her to focus on the fact that he just flirted with her. She was going to help him. Just like how he helped her with so many akuma attacks. Taking a cautious step toward him, she swallowed a lump in her throat before gesturing at her balcony. Giggling nervously, she replied, “I, um, live here.”

“Right. Of course you do,” Chat grimaced, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry for bothering you. I can leave now.”

He extended his baton and Marinette immediately rushed forward, waving her hands in an attempt to stop him. Calling out to him, she yelled, “Wait, wait, wait! Y-you’re not bothering me at all! I-I just... is everything alright? You seemed sad.”

“That obvious, huh?” He gave her a small smirk, shrugging his shoulders.

She flushed faintly before nodding her head. Taking another slow step toward him, she sighed in relief when he reduced his baton. Perhaps Tikki was right. Maybe she was making progress. This was the most sense she had ever made around her partner. Plus, Chat was staring at her with a look she couldn’t quite identify. Her heart fluttered in her chest again before she shoved it away when he started speaking again.

“Come with me,” Chat spoke softly, extending a hand out to her as he jerked his head out toward the city. “I know a place that’ll be purrfect for the two of us.”

He winked at her and Marinette immediately knew that all hope was lost. She was surprised that she didn’t melt into a puddle right then and there. Instead, her words rushed together at a mile a minute, making no sense as she chuckled awkwardly. “M-me, g-go with you? B-but you’re a civilian and I’m a superhero. I-I mean you’re a superhero and I’m a civilian. Besides, I have fomework. Homework! I have homework!”

He blinked at her in astonishment for a bit before he threw his head back in a loud laugh. Marinette turned a dark red, ducking her head down as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Was it possible to die of embarrassment? 

“Well, that was pawsitively adorable.” Chat said after laughing. She immediately snapped her head back up to look at him in shock. The butterflies roared back to life as he gave her another wink, beckoning her forward with his still-extended hand. “Come on, homework can wait, can’t it?”

Biting her lip shyly, she slowly took his hand, squeaking with surprise as he lifted her up into his arms. Peeking up at him from beneath her lashes, he murmured to her quietly, “Close your eyes, okay? It can get a little windy.”

Feeling her heart thump in her chest, Marinette nodded, wrapping her arms around him as she closed her eyes. She leaned into his embrace, shivers tingling up and down her body as she realized her crush was holding her. This was the luckiest she had ever been. 

When he put her down after a few moments, she gasped in surprise. They were currently on top of the Eiffel Tower, Paris’ lights twinkling around them. Whirling around, she faced Chat who was smiling shyly. Gesturing around them, he asked, “Do you like it?”

“Like it?! Chat, I love it!” Marinette said emphatically, “This is beautiful!” 

He beamed proudly and, for the first time, she felt like his bad mood had disappeared. Feeling pleased with herself for giving him a genuine smile, she hoped that his bad mood would stay away. Marinette then slowly sat down to look out over her city, a small smile on her lips as she listened to the sound of traffic below. She was surprised when she felt Chat sit down next to her, his hand brushing against hers lightly.

Flushing a deep red, she shifted slightly, hesitant to bring up any bad memories. Sucking in a deep breath of courage, Marinette asked, “So, did something happen today, or...?”

Chat sighed quietly, placing his head on his hand as he murmured, “I was more tired than anything, I guess. My work can get exhausting. Plus...,” he paused once briefly to glance at her before continuing, “I don’t think the girl I like likes me back.”

She immediately felt herself stiffen. Surely he couldn’t be talking about her? She was always so obvious. Tapping her two index fingers together, Marinette murmured, “T-the girl you like?”

A wide smile spread across his face as he gazed at her. “Yeah. She’s a fellow classmate of mine. Very smart and very purrety, too. The thing is, when I flirt with her, she seems to take everything as a joke. I don’t think she realizes I actually like her.”

“Sounds like an idiot,” Marinette muttered under her breath grumpily. So it wasn’t her then. It was some pretty, amazing girl in Chat’s class. That girl was so lucky and she had no idea. 

He laughed loudly, nudging her shoulder with his as his eyes glimmered over at her knowingly. “No, she’s really not. Purrhaps a little oblivious but not an idiot.”

Sighing quietly, Marinette glanced away from him, feeling slightly hopeless. If only she could slap some sense into the girl Chat likes. Looking down at Paris sadly, she said, “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think the guy I like likes me back either.”

“What?! You like a guy?!” Chat immediately turned his head to look at her, a strange expression crossing his face before he backtracked. “I-I mean, w-what makes you think that?”

Chuckling bitterly at herself, she shook her head. “I can be pretty stupid around my crush. I say the wrong thing or I stutter on my words. I’m incredibly clumsy too. I’m sure he must think I’m silly. He probably knows I like him and is trying to save my feelings by not telling me.”

“Hey,” Chat placed his hands on her shoulders, bringing her gaze back to him as he spoke to her seriously, “Marinette, you’re an absolutely amazing girl! Any guy would be lucky to have you like him. And, besides, your clumsiness is adorable. I’m jealous of him already.”

She bit her lip to contain her beaming smile. Chat was jealous of... well, himself! Plus, he called her amazing! He may be in love with someone else but it was her he was bringing to the top of the Eiffel Tower and her he fought akumas with every day. The girl he was in love with sounded oblivious too so maybe she did still have a chance. 

Feeling her face heat up, Marinette asked, “Really?”

“Really,” Chat smiled back at her, his hands still on her shoulders as he squeezed them gently. 

Feeling giddy, she then murmured shyly, “I feel the exact same about that girl you like. She’s lucky to have you, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

He blinked at her a few times before a soft, adoring smile spread across his face. “She really is.”

Marinette then turned away from him, a strong urge to press forward and kiss him filling her. Instead of doing that, though, she leaned her head against his shoulder, sighing quietly as she looked out at the city of Paris. This was enough. Even if Chat wasn’t in love with her, she could live with being his best friend. Having him in her life was just perfect for her.

[eirist]

In the Heat of the Moment

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: For Day 3—Nami’s Day—of the ZoNa Days event (at @zonamievents). I’m already late but still posting it. It’s unfair if it’s only Zoro who gets an entry.

In the Heat of the Moment is by Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. I still have The Umbrella playlist to thank for being such a good company.

Summary: "You're getting sappy witch. Sounds like you care about me."

The rain hadn’t let up from the moment it began to pour down.

Which should not have been a problem in the first place… the Straw Hats have their very own weather expert-slash-navigator extraordinaire after all.

If only said weather expert-slash-navigator extraordinaire didn't get distracted, arguing with a certain green-haired swordsman.

"This is your fault!" Nami complained, rubbing her arms with her hands in a poor attempt to keep the emerging chill away.

​Somehow satisfied, she folded her arms across her chest as she sulkily glared at the rain which has now completely turned into a steady downpour.

​Luckily she was able to pull the man with her towards an alcove in the town's wall before they got drenched. It was an uncomfortable fit, as they were almost pressed to each other, but it'll do.

​Zoro was snarling beside her. "This rain is MY fault?" He huffed. "Right! It's my fault coz I absolutely can make it rain on a whim!"

Nami turned sharply towards him, glaring daggers. "If you hadn't gotten lost—" 

"I DON'T GET LOST!" 

"—like the idiot that you are," she continued ignoring Zoro's outburst, deliberately raising her tone and effectively drowning his retort with her shrill voice. "Then we wouldn't be stuck in here ZORO!" Her voice jumped another octave when she said his name. "In. HERE!" She repeated the words, making sure to emphasize them and hoping to drill it straight into his thick, dumb skull. 

"Tch! Then you shouldn't have followed me!" The former bounty hunter groused.

​"Besides, aren't you supposed to be good at predicting the weather?" He commented sardonically. "Shouldn't you have known that it’s going to rain today?" 

Nami gaped at him disbelievingly. ​And heat rose to her cheeks.

​She gave his shin a good kick for that.

​​"Ite!" 

​"I know that!" Nami practically shrieked at him. "That's why I followed you here to tell you about it! Is this the thanks I get from making sure you don't get your dumb self lost in this island while a storm is brewing?!"

"Again woman, I DON'T GET LOST!" Not the one to be deterred, Zoro raised his own voice to match hers. "And damn it! Stop kicking me!"

​"Bullshit!" The ever-feisty navigator exclaimed. "That a load of crap and you know it!"

​She angrily poked his chest with her finger. "If I leave you to your own devices... We. Would. Never. Find. You!" She punctuated each word with a prod on his torso. As if that would actually make the idea sink unto him. "I don't want Luffy and Chopper whining about how you are lost and that we should find you!

​Zoro grabbed her hand to stop her from poking a hole in him. Grasping it firmly he all but shouted back at her. "I will be fine! I will find my way back to the Sunny!"

“Hah! Fat chance of that happening!” 

​They were almost nose to nose by this time; all the while scowling at each other, both waiting for the other to back down.

Now only the sound of the rain falling heavily down the soaked earth can be heard as they continued their stare off. Along with the sharp intake of breaths coming from the two of them because honestly, their shouting matches can be quite arduous.

​As the glowering continued; Zoro thought he caught a glint, a spark from behind Nami's eyes before those warm brown orbs widened.

​In what could only be a realization that their current position is leaning towards… precarious. It was also not helping that his own eye had darted all over her face, taking in the flush on her cheeks. Despite it coming from indignation, she still looks...

 ... pretty.

​He almost choked at his thoughts. When did he turn into that shit cook?

Zoro inhaled sharply and realized what a wrong move that was. He caught a whiff of Nami’s signature scent. Sweet with an undertone of zestiness that reminds him of her mikan fruits at their peak of ripeness—that certain moment that makes you want to steal one so you can taste them...

​The color on her face deepened and Zoro wasn't sure if it was because she was getting angrier and angrier by the minute.

Or... If it was because she saw that his stare lingered for more than a second or two at her lips. ​"Screw this!" He grunted, instantly averting his gaze. He felt his face heating up and to get out of their rather 'awkward' situation, he immediately resorted to his favorite defense mechanism whenever he faces off against this orange-haired devil incarnate.

Losing his temper on her. 

"You are not my keeper woman!" He snapped at her before immediately stepping out of their sanctuary and into the rain.

That made Nami snap to attention. "Hey!"

​Without another word Zoro turn around and started walking away from her despite the torrential rain.

WALKING. AWAY. FROM. HER.

While it’s raining cats and dogs. 

 "Zorooo!!!" He heard Nami screeched his name, horrified that he would actually leave her alone. There was no way he was getting back in there with her. Not when it occurred to him that he was only a second away from grabbing her...

...and kissing her.

​He walked in faster strides when she called him again. He had to get away from her. He needed to get away from her.

Far away.

​Because honestly she was driving him crazy lately with all these thoughts of wanting to kiss her surfacing every moment whenever he was with her.  

And who knows what the repercussions are? This is Nami they're talking about. She would probably sic ero-cook and even Luffy if he dared to even try. Or rat him out to either Robin or Usopp or both.

Or charge him more than what his current bounty is.

He winced at that.

​For now he needed to get away and calm himself so he can reflect...

​There was no warning as something collided at his back, almost making him stumble down the wet ground.

Did someone just attack him?

​But the presence wasn't threatening, even if its arms were wrapped around his neck in a chokehold, throttling him.

"YOU DID NOT JUST LEAVE ME ALONE THERE RORONOA ZORO!" Nami deliberately yelled at his ear, probably making his ear drum shatter and rendering him forever deaf. In a split second the Supernova realized that Nami… had jumped him.

​"Hey! Get off witch!"

"No!" "Get off!" "I said no!"

​"Get off now or I'll--"

Her hold around his neck tightened. "Or you'll what?" Nami hissed right in his ear in a tone so dangerously low that an actual chill ran down Zoro's spine. He gave her arm a light slap, a silent gesture to loosen her hold because she was cutting off his air. When she didn't relent, he effortlessly bounced her up his back.

​With a squeak of surprise, her arms slackened and he was able to finally draw in some air.

Nami’s hands grabbed at his shirt in an attempt to prevent herself from slipping from his back. Zoro tried to shake her off him. But the cat burglar swiftly clung onto him by locking her legs around his waist.

His remaining eye widened at that. 

"Nami!"  ​ "Stop trying to shake me off Zoro!" Nami protested as she held on to him tightly. Her knee knocked against his katanas and he scowled. "Then stop strangling me damn it!" "You deserve it you ass! Leaving me alone like that! Wait until the others hear about this you brute!" ​ Zoro muttered an expletive under his breath. Nami is a real witch!

He can feel her sliding down his back again. She was having a hard time clinging onto him because his shirt and her arms and legs were all wet from the rain water.

"I'm charging you for all these Zoro!" She muttered against his ear, her breath hot against his skin… a stark contrast from the cold rain water falling down on them. "The hell you are!" He managed to retort. She was speaking from his blind side and even as he tilted his head, he cannot see her face or her expression.

The next thing he knew… her fist had descended on his head.

“The hell! Why did you hit me?!”

“Because you are a moron.”

“That’s it get off me!”

“No!!”

​They continued struggling against each other, right in the middle of the rain that was soaking them to the bone.

​And Zoro realized then and there that Nami was quite nimble. She had quickly managed to change her position from his back to his side with her legs still locked around him.

He really didn't know what to do with that information, except it's going to be really handy once he gets the chance to...

​​​Fuck! ​​ She had hit him on the head with her fist ​again.​ That’s twice already.  Why are her punches hurting him so much? Was it clad in haki?? "Argh! Nami stop it!" He tilted his head towards her so he can growl and glare at her all at the same time.

She just gave him a haughty serves-you-right grin.

In retaliation he bounced her against him again. 

​Which was a wrong move. Because all it did was rubbed her breasts against him and press her closer to him.

It was a good thing the rain was drowning them.   Though it did made her yelp in surprise. He’s good with that.

​"Argh! Stay still Zoro! I swear if you drop me down I'm going to—"

“To what?” His steely eye met hers. This time it was his turn to challenge her.

Nami’s hold around his neck tightened, probably because her grip on him was slipping again because she was just as wet as he is and also because she still wants to choke the shit out of him for leaving her alone earlier.

She lifted her chin slightly so she could gaze back at him even as the rain water continued trickling down her face.

Was it just him or Nami’s quite comfortable where she is right now?

He knew she was trying to give him the evil eye. But it was hard to do that when the droplets of rain keep clinging to her lashes and she had to blink them away in a manner that affects him greatly.

And there was it… that familiar glint, that spark he saw when they were back in the alcove taking shelter from this rain.

“Look Zoro,” she finally sighed. “I just wanted to make sure you will come back to the Sunny in one piece and not get stranded in this weather."

​Zoro blinked. He was not expecting that.

​Then his face broke into a smirk. "You're getting sappy witch. Sounds like you care about me."

“Y-y-ou!” She stammered.

He grinned at her as she sputtered, her face turn absolutely and adorably red.

To think, he actually high-tailed it out of there earlier with his tail between his legs all because he can't face the realization that he wanted this woman.

But there was no denying it now. Amidst this rain it was very clear. That was all he needed.

He finally decided to take a chance instead of running away from it like a coward. ​

He tucked a strand of her wet hair behind her ear. "You can punch me or charge me later Nami," was all he said before he pressed his lips on hers.

Her body jerked in surprised. His arm instantly wrapped around her waist to secure her as one of her hands grasp at his shirt tightly.

​He swore he heard and felt her murmur 'oh fuck' against his lips before she deepened their kiss.

​They pulled apart slightly for air. Zoro hauled her up a little and Nami was about to lean down to for another kiss…

“A-choo!”

They looked at each other in surprise. Nami’s hand automatically covered her mouth as her face turned red again… this time for a very different reason.

“Ehem!”

They both turn their heads towards the sound and saw an elderly man standing a few feet away from them under an umbrella.

He was shaking his head as he looked at them.

“You youngsters should just get a room you know. You risk getting sick doing things out here in the open that should be done privately.”

[amjustagirl]

Chapters: one. ~ two. ~ three. ~ four. ~ five. ~ six. ~ seven. ~ eight.

Word Count: 2.3k 

Summary: Being with Miya Atsumu is like chasing a storm - equal parts exhilaration and danger. After all, it’s impossible to tame a storm. 

Notes: Multipart fic, slow burn. Updates to come soon (and dw, fic’s completed, so you won’t be left hanging ^^)

Masterlist here

AO3 Link here

‘You sure you want the job?’ Miya Osamu asks her when she turns up at his shop, application in hand, responding to the advertisement in Onigiri Miya’s window for part time staff -  general help needed, ability to ride a scooter a plus point - it had read. 

There are only fifteen seats in Onigiri Miya, and hardly any space for her to fit her backpack between her knees, but sunlight streams in invitingly from the glass shop front and there is a faint smell of grilled rice and fried fish that reminds her of weekly lunches at her grandparents’ home.  

‘Yes’, she answers, gesturing with her thumb at her scooter parked outside the shop. ‘I think I’m a good fit for this job’. The corner of Miya Osamu’s mouth lifts ever so slightly, and he leans forward in his seat, hand extended to her.  

‘Welcome to Onigiri Miya then’, he says before proceeding to brisk walk her through the ins and outs of the shop, the scope of her responsibilities, work schedule and (most importantly) her wage, leaving her head spinning at the end of the impromptu briefing. Miya Osamu seems passionate about his craft, his face brightening up with enthusiasm when he talks her through the various onigiris he sells, the type of rice he buys (from a boutique rice farmer in Hyogo, apparently), and he’s generous enough to offer her a decent wage, more than what she could be making working in a combini. 

She stands by her bike on the roadside, tilting her face to the setting sun. There is the faintest smell of rain in the air. 

She soon falls into the rhythm of Onigiri Miya. 

Osamu is strangely territorial over food preparation, so her tasks in the kitchen are mainly limited to washing rice (thrice in clean water, drained thoroughly) and doling out cups of tea and bowls of soup. When he finds out that she’s studying accountancy at Osaka University, he immediately places her in charge of the cash register (and later, in charge of their books). Her scooter comes in handy when he needs her to do urgent stock runs or deliveries to customers. 

She learns the name of their regular customers - Abe-san, who only ever orders salmon onigiris with a side of pork bone soup. Kawasaki-san, who spends half her meal complaining about her aches and pains to a sympathetic Osamu. Mina-san, who turns up every day for breakfast after Osamu includes spam onigiri on his menu after he overhears that she misses her hometown of Okinawa.  

Osamu calls her over at the end of her shift on a busy Saturday night. ‘I’ve a large order for an old customer of mine. D’you think you could help deliver it?’ 

There is a gleam in his eye that she does not quite like.  

‘You sound like you’re sending me out to slaughter’ she comments half-jokingly, to which he responds with an amused shrug of his shoulder. She considers whether it’s bad form to throw her shoe at her boss’s head, but decides not to waste her time. So she shoulders the large sack of food, heading off on her scooter to a neat apartment building in a quiet neighbourhood.

Well – it would have been a quiet neighbourhood but for the music blasted from the top floor of her destination. She has to cover her ears the minute the elevator opens and wonders if their neighbours are deaf or dead because there is no way otherwise the apartment wouldn’t have copped a noise complaint. Grimacing at the tape over the doorbell, she knocks politely on the door. 

There is no response. 

She knocks once more, less politely this time, but still the door does not open. ‘Hello, your delivery is here!’ she calls firmly, slamming her fist down on the sturdy wooden door. 

There is still no response.  

She’s about to turn around when the door crashes open and a blonde head pops out. Her jaw falls open because standing before her is the spitting image of her boss that just sent her out with this order, albeit blonde and ever so slightly broader.  

‘You’re not ‘Samu, but you’re pretty’, he leers, leaning against the doorway. 

She’s tempted to deck him but she’s pretty sure that would mean losing her job. So reminding herself that all that’s standing between her and her bed is this delivery, she bites her tongue and extends the bag of food to him. ‘Your order, sir. Payment please.’ 

‘Didn’t ‘Samu mention that I don’t need to pay?’ The blonde Osamu replica tugs the bag of food towards him, frowning when she refuses to let go. 

‘Not that I know of - and I can’t let you have your order unless you pay for it’, she answers firmly, foot against the door. 

He straightens into his height in a thinly veiled attempt to intimidate her - and while he’s at least six foot of solid muscle from what she can see, it’s thanks to years of working in her father’s shop with men at least a full head taller and broader than her that she’s not afraid to tip her chin up at him with her widest, sharpest grin until he looks away to draw out a couple of thousand yen bills from his pocket, enough to cover the bill. 

‘Fine, fine - tell ‘Samu he wins’, he grumbles, slamming the door in her face. 

She waits until she’s back at her scooter and a good distance away from the apartment before she dials Osamu’s number. 

‘What was that?’ she asks without preamble when he picks up.  

‘What was what?’ Osamu answers, sounding uncharacteristically amused. 

‘Don’t play cute with me! Did you just make me deliver food to your brother?’ 

‘My twin actually’, and he ignores her squawk of indignation. ’Did he pay up?’

‘What do you take me for - of course! I didn’t let go of the food until he did.’

‘Huh’, Osamu responds, sounding surprised. ‘That’s the first time he actually gave in’. And with that, he laughs merrily and hangs up on her. 

She shrugs it off as one of her boss’s weird quirks. 

Except it doesn’t stop as being a weird quirk but turns into an annoying habit. 

Atsumu quickly becomes a regular customer (she learns during one of the twins’ many bickering sessions that he’s back in Osaka after several competitions), and Osamu latches on pretty fast that she’s far better than he is at forcing Atsumu to pay for the food he eats, so he sics her on Atsumu every time the blonde setter shows up at the shop for a meal. 

‘Pay up’ she orders Atsumu for the fourth time this week. Her tone gives no berth for refusal so Atsumu reaches for his pockets even as he grumbles his complaints about ‘cowardly scrubs’ and ‘ crazy bitches’ at a grinning Osamu. 

‘You should give me a raise for managing your brother’, she complains to Osamu later, and though he raises an eyebrow at her, to her surprise, he does exactly that. 

Osamu proceeds to take advantage of said raise to send her to man their stand at MSBY’s first match of the season, armed with a few hundred onigiris. Business is brisk, but she finds her attention diverted by the sheer speed of the plays and the way the players all seem to have wings in their feet. 

Atsumu in particular catches her eye. Osamu explained to her over a slow day at work about volleyball positions and basic plays, and he boasted about Atsumu’s talent as a setter, how ‘he always takes the best care of his spikers’. Watching him now, even to her untrained eye, she can see how much thought he puts into each of his plays - the way he tricks the blockers to let his spikers fly high above them, the quick side stepping of increasingly frustrated attackers, the dump shots at the most unexpected of times. 

She’s impressed, though she doesn’t want to admit it - because Atsumu has the personality of a puddle of muddy rainwater, and she's fairly sure he'd never let her hear the end of it if he ever finds out. 

So it isn’t surprising when she spots him being hassled by a large gaggle of his fan girls outside the sports hall. They’re hanging off his arms begging him for autographs - and probably something much less innocent from the way his eyes are bugging out of his head. It’s tempting to walk away from him – it’s not as if he’s been particularly nice to her after all, but a few of the more rabid fan girls seem to get a little  too  close for comfort and she figures even he doesn’t deserve that . Plus he probably can’t just shove them off because that might cause yet another PR debacle that she and Osamu have become accustomed seeing in the news, so she breathes a sigh through her nose, cursing her conscience.   

‘Oi asshat, your ride’s here’, she shouts as loudly as she can, shouldering her way to the center of the crowd. His fan girls stare in stunned silence, but Atsumu catches on after she shoves her spare helmet into his chest, and grabbing her wrist for dear life, they sprint all the way to her scooter.  

‘Don’t tell me you’ve never ridden before’, she snaps as he fiddles helplessly at his helmet. 

‘Of course, I have, what d’you take me for, some scrub?’ he retorts when he manages to strap his it on to his head. Her scooter groans under his weight. 

Yes - she itches to retort, because he’s clearly lying. He fights to keep upright as she loops her way through bends on the road and maintains a white knuckled grip on the back of his seat until she comes to a stop two streets away where his fan girls are unlikely to see him. 

‘So, where to?’ she asks him as he wheezes, trying to catch his breath. ‘I could let you off here, or we could grab some food - your choice.’ 

‘Eh… Could we drop by 7-11?’ he chuckles sheepishly. 

‘Really? You want me to take you to a  combini  when your brother literally owns a restaurant?’ 

‘I’m cravin’ an egg mayo sandwich, what’s wrong with that?!’ he yells as she revs off, and she laughs when he squeaks and clings on to her waist. 

They end up at a combini anyway. Atsumu buys his egg mayo sandwich. And a bucket load of oden. And a bagful of karaage. And two pudding cups (singly packed, none of the triple cup kind for him  thank you very much). At least he steers clear of the onigiri section, because Osamu might explode otherwise if he ever finds out. 

‘You’re paying the fine if my bike gets impounded’ she tells him sourly.

‘Relax - it’ll be fine’, he waves his hand airily at her. ‘’Sides, what’s a girl like you doing with a bike?’

‘A girl like me?’ she echoes, tilting her head in confusion. 

‘Y’know - kinda square and all? I assumed so, since ‘Samu mentioned you’re studying to be an accountant’, he clarifies through a mouthful of food. 

‘Square?! ’ she mouths at him, outraged, and he grins unrepentantly back at her, crunching on karaage. She abandons her annoyance to scoot back to avoid the ensuing spray of crumbs. 

‘Do you want me to answer seriously, or was that a rhetorical question, gross pig?’ 

 ‘Please, I’m always serious, darlin’, he drawls. 

She steals a fishcake from him in retaliation and he tries to rap her knuckles with his sandwich. They only settle down when the combini staff glare at them mildly in reproof. 

‘I’ve always wanted to ride a bike ‘cos it seemed like it allowed its rider to be free’, she says, shooting a fond look through the window at her own scooter, rusty and old it may be. 

‘I mean it allows you to get from one place to another, what’s so special about that?’ he asks, cocking his head in confusion.  

‘Mm…well, not just that. You see, when I was younger, I used to be so jealous of my older brothers getting to ride their motorbikes. They refused to let me borrow it, so I stole it one day when they weren’t looking and took off - but because I was so excited, I hit the thrusters so hard on the way up a hill that I ended up crashing on the way down. But right before I crashed, there was a moment when I was on the top of the world with the wind in my face - it was the first time I truly felt  alive .’ 

 She closes her eyes at the memory, her mouth lifting into a smile. ‘And that’s what I become addicted to - chasing that feeling of being completely unfettered from the world, like a bird in the sky. 

He stares at her meditatively, as though she’s a puzzle he can’t quite solve.

‘What!’ she exclaims, the tips of her ears flushing pink, suddenly self-conscious. 

‘Nothin’, darlin’. Just thought that you’re more interesting than I thought’. Ignoring her indignant ‘ what?!’ , he stands up, brushing the crumbs off his lap. ‘Shall we get goin’? It’s about to rain.’ 

 The ride back to his apartment passes in a blur of streetlights and gathering rain clouds, but thankfully it’s not as unpleasant as it was before as Atsumu eases into his seat, moving with her when she drops into a bend, loosening his hands on her waist. Still, she suspects it’s all bravado, as he stumbles stiff legged off the bike when they reach his apartment. 

But as to be expected from a seasoned athlete used to the spotlight, he manages to plaster on a grin, cocky and charming enough to make her blush. 

‘Thanks for the ride’, he says. ‘I wouldn’t mind coming out again with you for a ride sometime’. 

Then he smiles at her, and it’s soft, shorn of the sharp edges she’s used to seeing. It plants an unfamiliar seed of warmth in her core that survives her race home against the storm.

[disasterfandoms]

This is Your Home Now ~ The Ryders x teen!reader imagine

@atjafshelby​ requested: “Okay so I was thinking maybe a teenage reader who was like Judd as a child, gets in trouble and needs help and stuff. But maybe she lives on her own so Grace and Judd take her in and try to help her? No rush though, thank you!!❤️”

A/N: I appreciate you sending me a complex ask. I’ll be honest, I had no idea how i was going to write this one when I first saw it. I tweaked it a tiny bit, and instead of being on their own the reader is in a group home. This may be part 1 if anyone is interested in part 2?

TW: foster care, mentions of violence, mentions of therapy.

Your POV:

Sitting in the principal’s office, you began to take in the various lame quotes around the room. “You miss 100% of the chances you don’t take” sure, whatever.

“You have to look through the rain to see the rainbow” this has to be the worst one of all. What rainbow? and why go through hell to be able to see a prism of light in the sky?

The door shuts loudly, pulling you from your thoughts. You roll your eyes when you see your social worker walking in with the principal.

“So, Y/N, you’ve been getting into more fights recently, including earlier today when you struck another student in the face for saying something about your family,” your principal read from the file, then looked up at you, “Anything you’d like to say for yourself?”

”yeah, they deserved it,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes at him again. Everyone here should know by now the topic of your parents is off limits, especially what he said about them. 

“Just because someone says something you don’t like doesn’t mean you can assault them.” Your social worker scolded, probably hating her life for having to deal with you. 

They went on lecturing you for another 20 minutes, but at that point you zoned out, focusing on the view out the window behind your principal. It was sunny outside, the trees on the outskirts of school grounds blowing slightly with the wind. You could see people walking out there, and instantly wanted to be anywhere but here, supposedly listening to how you’re a screw-up and if you “don’t get your act together” you’ll “never have a future.”

“Y/n, what do you think about the compromise?”

You snapped your head to the principal, trying to figure out what all you missed in the last few minutes so you could figure out to answer appropriately. You studied his face, before deciding agreeing would be the quickest road. How wrong you were, you wouldn’t have the faintest idea until an hour later.

“Sounds good to me, as long as I can go back to class. Ms. Neal is teaching about the wage gap and I want to see conservative boys lose their ever-loving mind.” you smiled, hoping they buy it for now. They both nod their heads, then you stand up to leave. 

“I’ll see you after school, Y/N,” your social worker spoke confidently, seemingly proud of herself for her part in the supposed compromise. With that, you left the two adults to work out the details amongst themselves.

Going to Ms. Neal’s class quickly, you started to wonder what you agreed to. It had to be something significant if you weren’t getting in trouble for giving the star of the baseball team a black eye, which he deserved, by the way. 

Class went by as a blur, your attention focusing in and out on class, except when it came time to debate your stance on the issue of the class. You loved to argue, especially with privileged, snotty teens who don’t know how well they had it. You were good at it too, you could be a lawyer if you had any shot of a successful life.

Sooner than you’d like, class was over, and you started to get up and leave. You were too occupied with making sure you had everything that you didn’t realize you were making a beeline into your social worker.

“Oh, I’m so sorry!”

“Hey, watch it!” You both say simultaneously, backing up and looking at who ran into you.

“Oh, there you are Y/N! Come on, I’m driving you back to the home to pack up your things” She signaled with her hand to come with her, and you obliged, confused.

“Pack my things? Why?” You asked while walking to your car. You know you’ve been in trouble recently, but being kicked out of the group home seemed a little extreme.

“Did you listen to the compromise at all when were talking about it? Before you agreed to it?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“Not really, just figured agreeing would get me in the least trouble,” you replied, and you could see her smile a little as she shook her head at you.

“This last fight isn’t going on your permanent record, as long as you get anger management classes, and move out of the group home and into a foster situation with two loving people who know how to handle situations like yours,” 

“Crap, I really should listen more.” You sighed and leaned your head on the window. You didn’t see how moving you out of the group home would help at all, it’s more change and more adjustment, and you were tired of both.

“Want to know about the couple?” You social worker asked you, but you barely heard her. You shook your head and put a headphone in, hoping this wasn’t a mistake.

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Judd’s POV:

“Are we sure about this, Gracie?” Judd asks, pacing between the living room and the kitchen, pausing every now and then to look at his wife. He stopped, turned to her, and rubbed his face before putting both hands behind his head, cradling it as he thinks about everything that could go wrong with this.

He knew they both wanted kids, and adoption seemed to be their only hope due to ther infertility troubles. But still, he argued to himself, a teenager? With this kid’s anger management issues, stubbornness, and troubled past, this isn’t what he necessarily had in mind.

“Yes, Judd, we’re sure. This kid needs our help, and a stable home to thrive. I understand you’re nervous, I am too, but we’ve been doing our research and interviewing with child protective services for months, and now they’re gracing us with a child that needs us.” Grace had walked over to him at this point, and taken his hands into hers. He looked into those beautiful, rust colored eyes of hers and took a deep breath. He knew she was right, she usually is, but he was still nervous.

He wrapped his arms around her, leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “I love you,” he whispered. She looked up at him, grabbed the nape of his neck, and kissed him lovingly. After a few seconds, she broke away, and whispered, “I love you too, handsome.”

Before anything could further along, the doorbell rang. The two looked at each other, took a deep breath, and walked to the door. Grace opened the door, and they both saw the social worker, Malia, with a teenager that looked less than happy to be on their doorstep.

Judd quickly scanned the teen, noticing the frown on their face and the bruised knuckles they were sporting on their right hand. They had a suitcase in the other hand, and looked short in stature. Everyone looks short to Judd, though. 

“Hi Malia, Y/N, please come in.” Grace states, welcoming their guest and their now-forster child into their home. Once the social worker guided Y/N in, the pair sat on the couch while Judd and Grace sat on the other, clasping their hands together and looking at the child who’ll be staying with them, being nurtured by them, for next couple years.

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Your POV:

The house is nice, you thought to yourself as you sit on the couch, waiting for someone to speak to you. You look at them, whose names you aren’t aware of yet, and study their features. The man was tall, and you can tell he’s been working for a while due to his build and the scratches and burns on his hands. The woman is much smaller, and seems softer, but you can tell they love each other just by the way they can’t keep their hands off each other.

“Judd, Grace, this is Y/N. Now, I know the department have given you their file, but do you have any questions about their history, or anything I can answer?” Malia asked, putting her hands in her lap. At least you know their names now, you thought to yourself.

“I don’t think so, ma’am. You’re welcome to stay for supper, though. Y?N, is there any allergies or diet restrictions we need to know about?” The woman, Grace, you remind yourself, asks. She smiles at you as she asks, and she has a pretty smile. You start to wonder why they wanted to take in someone like you.

“No ma’am, thank you for asking though. Can one of y’all show me to my room, though? I’d like to unpack and start on homework before supper.” You try to be polite, not knowing who they are once the social worker. Better to be safe than sorry, right?

“Of course, I’ll show you up there, and let you get settled.” Judd offers, standing up to guide you to where you’ll sleep.

You go up the stairs, and are impressed by what you see. This is better than the group home, at the very least. You head down the corridor he’s taking you through, and walk into a moderately sized room that had a full-sized bed, two nightstands, a dresser, closet, desk with a chair, and a door to what you assume is a bathroom.

“Take all the time you need to settle in. This weekend we’ll all go shopping and you can buy decorations for your room. Once supper is ready, we’ll call you downstairs to eat, get to know each other better. Alright?” He asked, looking as if he expected you to answer. You quickly nodded, and got to putting away your things and taking in the space. Maybe you actually belong here.

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Once supper was ready, you were called down, you stumbled down the kitchen, washed your hands, and then took a seat at the table. Malia had left, hopefully to bother another kid and leave you alone, and you sat there quietly, eating the dinner they prepared.

“So, Y/N, is there any hobbies you enjoy? Anything we can look into getting you, like an easel or a video game?” Grace asks, making conversation.

“Why do you care? It’s not like I’m your kid,” You rolled your eyes, then looked down and played with your food. You wouldn’t let yourself get attached to the idea of having people truly care about you, especially not now.

“Hey, you-” Judd started to raise his voice, but Grace cut him off with holding her index finger up to him, then spoke.

“Y/N, I know this is all too new for you still. You don’t know us, you do not know our intentions, and you’re past makes it especially hard for you to believe anyone would love you and care for you. But, and I mean this, this is your home now, Y/N, and we will not abandon you, no matter the obstacles ahead,” she paused, and looked to her husband. Judd nodded, and took a deep breath.

“Y/N, I was just like you when I was your age. I was going through somethin’, and it left me violent and not knowing who to trust. We want you here so we can help you through the hurt you’ve been through, and make you into the young adult we can already see inside you. We have two rules, don’t disrespect us, and be honest with us. Got it?”

“Got it,” you spoke quietly. The rest of the dinner was quiet, and afterwards you went upstairs to your room, lying on the bed, thinking about how this is going to be good for you. Maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay.

[andvys]

Fine line part eight

warnings: fluff, angst, violence

pairing: ellie williams x reader

Ellie didn’t even register the sound of thunder rumbling or the rain pattering against the window in the early morning hours.

The first thing she noticed was the comforting feeling of you clinging to her as her arms were wrapped safely around you. You were laying on top of her, with your head on her chest.

This wasn’t the position you were in last night, no, this was much more intimate but Ellie wasn’t complaining, she liked the feeling of having you in her arms, the urge to protect you was big, to give you comfort and warmth.

Looking down at you, she wondered how she could ever hate you, you looked so sweet and precious, as if anyone could actually hate you.

But you didn’t just look that way, you were sweet and precious. You always helped everyone around you, you cared for other people more than you cared about yourself, you always put the needs of others first. You didn’t care about yourself and that worried her, she knew you would sacrifice yourself to save others. You were always out there, looking for supplies, looking out for people who needed saving but you always neglected yourself, you wanted to do good for others. You always had to be the hero.

Maybe that’s why she tried to convince herself that she hated you when in actuality she cared deeply about you and she knew this would get her heart broken because you were gonna get yourself killed sooner or later.

So she thought, pushing you away and hating you to get rid of her feelings was the only way not to get her heart broken but she was wrong, so wrong. The more she pushed you away, the more she tried to hate you, the more intense her real feelings have gotten. 

Ellie was snapped out of her thoughts when you began to stir in your sleep. Her heart began to race under your palm, this time you were gonna wake up together. The few times you ended up cuddling in your sleep, one of you would always be up first, so it was never weird or uncomfortable between you but this time there was no running away from it.

“morning Ellie.” she heard you whisper softly as you stayed in that position.

“morning y/n.” Ellie whispered back, nervously.

‘that’s not what friends do right?’ Ellie thought to herself.

‘we weren’t even friends and we cuddled already..’

“it’s still storming.” you pointed out when you heard thunder crashing.

“yeah.. we’re still gonna be here today.” Ellie said.

You didn’t know what it was about her but she made you feel safe and warm like no one else did before. You weren’t one for cuddling or hugging but when you woke up in her arms for the first time, it felt like the most comfortable place in the world.

You never thought you’d end up in the arms of your enemy and yet here you were and you wouldn't want it any other way.

Well, you weren’t enemies anymore you were friends now but still.

-

Two days later you were on the way back home to Jackson, the storm hasn't fully passed yet but just enough to drive, luckily it wasn't raining too heavily.

You and Ellie spent the past two days playing cards and talking about everything and nothing. You thought it would be boring and dreadful being around her for this long but you were surprised to find out that you actually liked talking to her and spending time with her. Maybe you even liked it a little too much.

“so.. you excited to go home?” you asked. 

“uh yeah.. I guess.” Ellie said “what about you?” she asked.

“not like I'm gonna stay for long.” you shrugged, looking out of the car window.

Ellie furrowed her brows, a dreading feeling set in her stomach.

“what do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean.. I’ll probably rest for a few days before Maria sends me off again.” you told her, looking at her you noticed she had a frown on her face.

“we found the supplies though, it’s enough, you don't have to go out there anymore y/n.” she stated anxiously. She didn't want you to go. Especially not alone.

“it’s never enough, Ellie.” you said “besides.. I don’t really have a home anymore and it’s not like anyone is waiting there for me.” you shrugged. Just thinking about being back in Jackson made you feel alone and miserable. 

You were surrounded by a lot of people in Jackson and yet you felt more alone in there than out here. 

Outside of Jackson, you knew there wasn't anyone but you, so it was okay to be alone, it’s what you chose for yourself but you had no one in Jackson.

No friends, no family, nothing.

Sure you got along with Dina and Jesse but they were Ellie’s friends and you only went on patrols with them. 

You were alone. 

No one would mourn you if you would ever die out here and no one would come looking for you if you went missing.

“that’s not true y/n.” Ellie sighed, looking over at you she noted the sad expression on your face. “there are people waiting for you.” 

You knew she was just trying to make you feel better but it was okay. You have made peace with the thought of being alone and dying alone.

“it’s okay Ellie.” you assured her. 

‘it’s not okay.’ Ellie thought to herself, she hated that you felt this way.

“y/n it’s- oh no fuck.. you gotta be kidding me.” she mumbled in anger, when the car began to slow down, indicating that you ran out of gas.

“shit.” you mumbled, looking out of the window, you realized you were in the middle of nowhere, it was a wooded area and you had no gas left. Great.

“that’s just great.” Ellie muttered under her breath.

Ellie grabbed the map, looking at it in concentration. 

It was raining outside and didn't look like there were any towns nearby or a gas station or something.

“there's a cabin close by and the next town is a few miles away from where we are right now.” she told you, showing the marked up area in the woods where the cabin was. “i bet we’ll find some gas there.”

“can we leave the car here?” you asked, worried about the supplies. 

You haven't run into anyone in the past few days but you could never know, people are everywhere. 

“we have no choice, staying in here isn't an option, we gotta go get some gas anyways, if we’re lucky we’ll make it back by tonight and if not then we stay in that cabin overnight and then come back here.” she said, eying you, she noticed that you were worried. 

“okay..” you sighed before you opened the car door, to get out. Luckily the rain wasn’t too heavy but you’d still be drenched by the time you’d come back.

Ellie opened the trunk and started to put some supplies into her backpack.

You came up next to her and started doing the same.

“here..” she offered you a switchblade, it was a black one. You looked up at her before you accepted it, eying it. You talked about needing a new one a few days ago.

It warmed your heart that she remembered it.

“thank you.” you smiled at her, noticing the blush on her face.

“it’s nothing.” she said, smiling back at you.

-

You were walking for an hour now, your clothes were wet, water ran down your hair and your face and you just felt very uncomfortable. Luckily it stopped raining a few minutes ago but you were sure it wouldn’t be long until it would start raining again.

You managed to find the cabin and checked it out to make sure that it was safe for later before you kept walking towards the town.

You were finally getting closer when you saw the first buildings up ahead.

“look..” Ellie said, pointing to the first store. It was a clothing store or at least it used to be one.

Sighing out in relief, a small smile appeared on your face “we should get rid of these clothes and get some new ones.” you said, walking inside the store.

“yeah..” Ellie mumbled, following you inside.

After you made sure the store was safe, you started looking at the different types of clothes. A dress managed to catch your attention, a smile broke out on your face before you started chuckling to yourself. The thought of wearing a dress in this world, while killing some infected seemed ridiculous to you.

“you okay?” Ellie chuckled, when she saw you laughing while holding a dress in your hands.

Looking over at her, you noticed she had a slight smile on her face.

“yeah it’s just..” a smirk appeared on your face “i’m trying to imagine you in this dress right now.” you said as you began laughing when a disgusted expression appeared on her face.

“please don’t.” she groaned as she rolled her eyes.

You chuckled at her before you put the dress back and started looking for something useful.

You managed to find some suitable clothes, you were about to ask Ellie if she was done when something else caught your attention.

You picked the items up and held them up in front of you.

“hey Ellie.”

“yeah?” she asked, turning around to face you, her eyes widened when she saw the lacy underwear in your hands.

“the black ones or the blue ones?” you asked, smirking at her when a blush appeared on her face.

“uhhh-“ she started, scratching the back of her neck “black.” she mumbled before she turned around again, closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

Now she couldn’t get the picture of your half naked body out of her head.

You chuckled to yourself at how flustered she’d gotten. You never thought you’d see a blushing Ellie someday, let alone you being the reason for it.

You put your backpack down and took your wet flannel off, cringing at the feeling of wet clothes against your skin.

“ugh.. i’m so wet.” you mumbled as you grabbed the hem of your shirt, pulling it over your head, leaving you in a black bra.

A smirk appeared on Ellie’s face at your words “are you now?” she chuckled turning around to look at you, her eyes widened once again when she saw you pulling your shirt off.

She couldn’t help but stare at you, at your soft, beautiful skin. Eying you up and down, she gripped the shirt tightly that she held in her hands.

Your eyes widened as well, when you saw the way she was looking at you. A weird feeling shot through your body.

But for some reason you didn’t mind having her stare at you.

“we uh- we should-..”

“yeah..” Ellie mumbled, turning around again.

-

Leaving the store, there was a weird tension between you and Ellie, something that hasn’t been there before.

You tried to ignore it and rather focused on trying to find gas but you weren’t that lucky this time. You tried to siphon some gas from the cars that were left standing around but they were all empty.

You were beginning to get frustrated, if you wouldn’t find any gas you would have to keep going into the next towns and you weren’t sure if there was any gas.

Ellie was about to say something when you heard the sound of car coming closer.

You and Ellie looked at each other wide eyed before she grabbed your hand pulling you behind a car. You crouched down and gripped your shotgun tightly in your hands.

You hoped whoever was coming your way would drive by but you weren’t as lucky as you hoped you would be, the car stopped close to where you and Ellie were.

Peeking out from behind the car, you could see four men getting out of the car, a dreading feeling set in your stomach. Running into a group of men never ended good. 

“shit..” you mumbled, you felt your heart beginning to raise, this reminded you to a similar setting when you and Ellie ran into a larger group back in Colorado when you were on your way to Texas. You almost got yourself killed trying to keep one of the guys off Ellie when he tried to throw his knife at her and instead threw at you when you moved in front of her, the blade pierced through your shoulder. The wound was still healing and you knew it would leave a big scar.

“it’s just four y/n.. we fought more before.” Ellie whispered behind you as she put her hand on top of yours, squeezing it.

You nodded, trying to calm your racing heart. 

It’s not that you were scared to fight them or kill them, you’ve done this a dozen times before. You were worried that things would go sideways and they’d manage to hurt Ellie or worse. You knew she could handle herself but still.

That’s why you liked doing these things alone, you didn't have to worry about anyone else, you could just focus on yourself and get it over with.

“spread out.” a voice shouted “find them.” 

You and Ellie glanced at each other in curiosity. Who were they looking for? They couldn’t be looking for you could they? As far as you knew, no one was after you. But something told you these men didn’t have good intentions.

You saw all the men, going off into different directions, this would make it easier for you to kill them.

You and Ellie nodded at each other before you went to get up but Ellie put her hand around your wrist and pulled you back making you look at her “be careful, please.” she whispered, looking at you with a worried expression. 

You nodded, “you too Ellie.” you whispered, smiling at her before you got up to follow one of the men who went into the gas station. 

You saw him going into the backroom so you went inside hiding behind the large shelves to avoid being seen, pulling your shotgun back by the sling you grabbed the new switchblade Ellie gave you earlier. 

You walked towards the backroom slowly, you could hear the guy opening the drawers in the room, clearly searching for something. 

Taking a deep breath, you looked inside but you couldn't find him, furrowing your brows you turned around only to run into a hard chest, startled you stepped back and looked up to see the tall man in front of you.

“looking for me?” he smirked at you. 

You didn't even hesitate before you tried to stab him but he managed to catch your wrist, gripping it tightly, you tried to pull your hand back but he overpowered you in strength. He put his other hand around your throat and pushed you into the room harshly, throwing you over the table. 

You fell off the table, down to your knees, you grabbed your shotgun quickly and turned around, falling back against the floor the man was about to shot you but you beat him to it, the loud shot went off, throwing him back against the wall as blood splattered everywhere.

“fuck..” you mumbled, this alerted the others. 

You quickly got up and grabbed the man’s gun before you ran towards the entrance of the store, you peeked out to see one of the men running towards the gas station. 

You didn't hesitate to get up and aim your gun at his head, he looked at you with eyes, clearly not expecting that but before he could react you already shot him.

His body dropped to the floor.

You heard a shot go off not too far from you. Your heart began to race at the thought that it might be Ellie that got shot instead of one of the men. 

You ran out and hid behind one of the cars, trying to find the rest and Ellie. You looked around but you couldn't see anyone. 

Your hands started shaking and your breathing got heavier by the second. For some reason you felt the deep fear of losing her all of the sudden. All sorts of pictures started running through your mind.

This moment reminded you of when you lost your mom, it happened in a similar setting, you were looking for her but couldn’t find her until you heard that gunshot.

“calm down y/n.” you whispered to yourself, trying to take deep breaths. 

You heard glass smashing in one of the old stores on the other side of the street, you got up and ran towards it. 

You ran inside to find Ellie standing over the dead body of one of the men, looking into the corner of the room you found another dead body with a bullet in his head. 

You felt relieved to see that she was alright but you had to make sure.

You didn’t know what came over you but you couldn’t help but run towards her, hugging her from behind.

She stiffened at first but relaxed once she realized it was you. Warmth engulfed, feeling your arms wrapped around you but she asked herself what caused you to hug her, you were never the one initiating the hugs, she was the one that pulled you in at night.

“y/n?” she whispered, putting her hand on top of yours that were resting on her stomach, she grabbed them and turned around to face you, looking at you in worry as she noted the anxious look on your face.

She grabbed your face gently “are you okay?”

You were about to respond when you noticed the fresh cut on her face, blood was running down her cheek. Anger and worry filled you at the thought that one of them managed to get this close to her.

You put your palm against her cheek, eying the wound. “Ellie..” you whispered.

“it’s fine y/n.. it doesn’t hurt.” she assured you “are you okay?”

You didn’t respond and instead pulled her into a hug, hiding your face in the crook of her neck. She put her arms around you, holding you tightly against her.

You calmed down when she held you, she gave you the warmth and the comfort that you so desperately craved all these years, to think that it was her who made you feel this way overwhelmed you, you could’ve had this a long time ago and yet you decided to waste all these years.

You decided that you wouldn’t waste them anymore with acting like you hated her or with trying to push away your true feelings.

“come on, let’s get out of here.” Ellie whispered, rubbing your back softly.

You nodded before you pulled away from her, she grabbed your hand and pulled you out of the store, leading you towards the car the man came with.

You looked up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds, it was about to start raining again. This day just kept getting worse.

Ellie opened the trunk and sighed in relief when she saw a two gallons of gas standing there.

“fuck yeah.” she breathed grabbed one of them handing one to you before she grabbed the other one.

You siphoned the rest of the gas out of the car, you needed all you could find. Before you left to get back to the cabin.

-

Once again your clothes were drenched from the rain as you ran inside the cabin. Ellie shut the door and locked it. Darkness engulfed the room, the only source of light were the bolts of lightening.

Both of you were shaking from the cold rain and you didn’t have any spare clothes with you.

Ellie walked towards the fireplace and crouched down to start a fire.

Light appeared in the room after a few moments. The flames in the fireplace made the room appear warm and cozy unlike how you were feeling right now. You were shaking, water was dripping from your clothes and hair.

Ellie noticed the state you were in, she wasn’t feeling any better but you were out of clothes but she knew you’d get sick if you didn’t get rid of the wet clothes.

“take your clothes off.” Ellie told you.

You looked up at her, a surprised expression appeared on your face “huh?”

“take them off, we’re gonna get sick.” she said before she started taking her clothes off.

You looked at her with wide eyes as she took off her shirt, showing off her toned stomach and her strong arms before she started taking off her shoes and her pants.

She looked so beautiful, the light from the flame highlighted her beauty even more.

The rumble of thunder snapped you out of your thoughts, shaking your head at yourself, you looked down, hoping she didn’t catch you staring at her.

You bend down to take your shoes off before you started taking your clothes off as well.

You could feel Ellie’s eyes on you but you didn’t mind. You looked up at her, noticing that she was staring at you.

You looked at the open cut on her cheek, remembering that you still had to take care of it.

You grabbed your backpack and two blankets from the couch, handing one to Ellie. You sat down on the soft carpet in front of the fireplace and looked up at Ellie, motioning for her to sit down in front of you.

She sat down and put the blanket around her shoulders, still shaking from the cold rain. She eyed you as you poured some alcohol on a cloth. She couldn’t help but stare at your beautiful face, the way you hugged her earlier made her want to feel you even more. Her eyes fell to your lips.

You grabbed her chin softly and started to clean the wound on her cheek, making sure to be gentle.

Your heart began to race when you felt her hand on your thigh, biting down on your lip you looked at her to find her staring at your lips.

“all done.” you whispered, glancing at her lips.

She moved closer and grabbed your face gently.

You gazed into each other’s eyes before you both leaned in, smashing your lips together.

You were overwhelmed with emotions the moment you felt her lips moving against yours. The kiss was passionate yet gentle, her lips were so soft and the feeling she left you with was unlike anything you have ever felt before.

She deepened the kiss and pulled you into her even closer. Caressing your cheek with her thumb.

You pulled away from her, the kiss left you breathless.

Leaning your forehead against hers you opened your eyes to look at her, you didn’t even know what to say, the kiss left you speechless and by the way she was looking at you, you knew she felt the same way.

You didn’t need to say anything to know what the other felt, right at this moment.

Looking at each other was enough.

[fromthedeskofelizabeththird]

Nabahero

An AU of my fic Habanero where Reader-chan hooked up with Nemuri instead of Aizawa.

Fandom: BNHA

Pairing: Midnight x Reader

Rating: Explicit. Minors BE GONE

Trigger Warnings: None really apply

Sequel/AU: Habanero

AO3: Here | Want to support me? I have a Kofi

“Oh my g-” you cried out, grinding your ass into the bed and your lover’s tongue. “I’m gonna...I’m gonna…”

You came seconds later, with such force that your cries of pleasure died in your throat. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you gasped for air, your lover smugly sucking at your thighs.

You laid there, body twitching and overstimulated, going over the events of the past few hours.

You couldn’t believe what you were doing.

You couldn’t believe what you’d done .

_____

It started with a revelation that changed your world forever.

Your boyfriend took your hand in his and, gently, ended your relationship. You were too delicate, too sweet. He wanted someone who challenged him, who didn’t blush, who wore stiletto heels and red lipstick and slipped off her underwear in public.

Incredibly ironic, now that you thought about it.

The breakup hit you hard, leaving your friends more than a little worried about you. Their solution was to drag you to a nightclub in search of a one night stand, the prospect of which left you nervous. You weren’t used to such loud places, being surrounded by so many strangers.

It was all too much for you after barely twenty minutes and you excused yourself from the table, heading into the nearest washroom to freshen up your makeup and gather your nerves. You reapplied your eyeliner, your mascara, your lipstick, trying to drag out the process for as long as possible. You could think of nothing worse than sitting back down at the table and scoping out strangers with your friends. You just wanted to be home, watching Netflix in your pyjamas.

You stepped back out into the club, taking a deep breath and bracing yourself for whatever might happen next. You wondered how you could avoid it even more. How else could you waste your time?

As if in response, a commotion broke out at the bar.

You glanced in that direction, taking note of the crowds of people and single bartender, an idea coming to mind. You pulled out your phone and loaded the group chat, sending a single message to your friends.

>>I’m going to grab drinks. Any preferences?

Rei wanted shots, Sayaka wanted a Cosmopolitan, Yuiko wanted beer and you felt more than little smug as you joined the back of the queue. If you played your cards right, you’d be stuck there for at least half an hour.

You didn’t bother to try and push to the front, quite happy to take your time. Unfortunately, while this was a good idea in theory, it had dire consequences in practise. A girl in stiletto heels tripped as she left the crowd, sending her drinks into the air and glasses smashing to the floor. Everyone jumped back, yourself included, though you weren’t fast enough. Within seconds your dress was soaked in a combination of soda, sliced lemon and alcohol.

You cried out in shock, the ice from the drinks cold against your skin and your dress almost certainly ruined.

“I’m so sorry,” cried out the girl who had dropped them, “I-I didn’t mean to!”

You wanted to tell her it was fine, but the chill of the ice left you unable to form words. Instead you reached to wipe the alcohol from your face, breathing a heavy sigh.

For lack of a better option, you returned to the bathroom, sitting up onto the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as you could. You were fairly certain you had never looked such a mess in your life: you had soda on your shoes, mascara dripping down your face and ice in your purse. You reached for your makeup bag, meaning to try and salvage your face at least, only to give up and wash everything off.

You reached for your phone and updated the messenger, realising an opportunity when you saw one.

>>Change of plan. Someone dropped their drinks on me, so I’m going home to change.

>>Did you want me to come with you?

>>Nope, I’ll be fine.

_____

You promised to call your friends once you got to the train station, though only halfheartedly. By then, all you could think about was going home and getting into your pyjamas.

Unfortunately, Lady Luck wasn’t finished with you yet and it began to rain about halfway between your train stop and Ego , a downpour so sharp and sudden that you had little choice but to take shelter in a nearby izakaya.

You hoped that the rain would end just as quickly as it started, but it continued, raindrops hitting the ground with such force that they bounced off the tarmac. You rubbed your hands together and headed for the bar, meaning to order a drink and wait out the storm.

You knew you looked a mess. You were soaked through with a combination of alcohol and rainwater, face still flushed from where you had scrubbed off your makeup. You made a point to preoccupy yourself with checking your emails, concluding that the less attention you drew to yourself, the better.

You deleted the usual spam, accepted the usual appointments, sent a quick message to the group chat and took a long sip of your drink, pointedly avoiding the gaze of everyone around you.

You didn’t notice the stranger approach until they had taken a seat on the bar stool next to you, filling your senses with the sweet scent that seemed to linger around their person.

“Can I get my usual?”

You gave them a nervous side glance, wondering if they were as attractive as their voice, only to find yourself looking at quite possibly the most beautiful woman you’d never seen. She had soft curves and kissable lips and you blushed before you could stop yourself, wishing the earth would swallow you whole. Of all of the times you could run into a hot girl, why did it have to be now?

She took a sip of her drink and turned towards you, seeming to notice you were looking at her. You didn’t manage to look away in time, which only seemed to make her smile. You supposed that for a woman as beautiful as her, this must be an everyday occurrence.

You hoped she didn’t think you were weird, even if you couldn’t blame her.

You turned back to her, meaning to apologise for making her uncomfortable, only to find her smiling at you and resting her head on one hand.

“I’m sensing a story here,” she said. “Come on, join me.”

Perhaps it was her clear blue eyes or the sweet scent that seemed to linger around her. Either way, it was an offer you couldn’t-and didn’t particularly want to- refuse.

_______

Within twenty minutes you were sitting in a corner booth, laughing so hard that tears streamed from your eyes. Nemuri, as she had introduced herself, had ordered food for the table and listened attentively to everything, from your breakup to the disastrous events at Ego . She laughed at all of the right moments and stroked your hair at the more emotional ones, so gently that it sent shivers through your spine and between your thighs.

“And then,” you said, sobbing with laughter, “the drinks just…FWWSH...”

You waved your hands in front of your face, mimicking the way the alcohol had landed, feeling more than a little smug when Nemuri doubled over with laughter.

“I had to pick little umbrellas out of my hair,” you said. “My purse is flooded...it’s like an aquarium…”

“(Name), (Name), oh my god, stop, you’re killing me!”

“At least I didn’t have to queue for a drink. All I have to do is stick in a straw and I’m good to go.”

“PFFFFFFFT!!”

Nemuri clapped her hands over her mouth, shoulders quaking with silent giggles. You couldn’t help but join in, the absurdity of everything finally sinking in.

You wiped the tears from your eyes and gasped for air, Nemuri draping an arm across your shoulders.

“Listen to me,” she said, “men are dogs. You can do so much better than him.”

She said it so confidently that you almost believed her, in awe of how certain she sounded.

“You think so?”

“I know so,” she said, giving your cheek a gentle squeeze. “Now. Let’s fix you up.”

____

A few minutes later you were sitting on the counter in the izakaya’s washroom, Nemuri wiping away what remained of your ruined makeup.

“You have such pretty eyes, (Name),” she said, stroking her fingers through your hair so softly that shivers ran up your spine, “has anyone ever told you that?”

You shook your head and she looked genuinely offended.

“People don’t know a good thing when it’s right in front of them,” she huffed, stroking a finger from your jaw to your collarbones. You wished that same finger was touching you somewhere else, eyes darting from her hand to her face. She leaned over to kiss you as if she’d read your mind and you were sure your heart was going to burst. You froze in place, terrified that the moment you blinked it’d be over.

“Sorry,” she said, taking a step back, “did I misunderstand?”

“No,” you breathed, “no, that’s not it. It’s just...I’ve never…”

You’d never been arrested. You’d never dyed your hair a shocking colour or gotten a tattoo. You’d definitely never made out with another girl, no matter how much you might have wanted to.

Nemuri nodded in understanding, setting aside your purse and easing you down to the floor, turning you round to face yourself in the mirror.

“Would you like to?” she whispered in your ear, leaning over to kiss the back of your neck.

“I…”

You couldn’t believe this was really happening; couldn’t believe this had ever been an option.

You nodded before you could stop yourself.

______

“Oh my g-” you cried out, grinding your ass into the bed and your lover’s tongue. “I’m gonna...I’m gonna…”

You came seconds later, with such force that your cries of pleasure died in your throat. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you gasped for air, your lover smugly sucking at your thighs.

Nemuri’s apartment was a short train ride from the izakaya and you had followed her to the station in nervous silence. You hadn’t known what to expect. Your only experience of sex was with your ex boyfriend and that had never amounted to much more than a blow job followed by halfhearted thrusts as you laid flat on your back and pretended to moan, whether for his benefit or your own you weren’t quite sure.

Your entire body had trembled with anticipation as Nemuri closed the door behind you. You had arched into her touches as she pushed you back onto her bed and hitched up your skirt, tossing aside your panties and burying her face between your thighs all within a matter of minutes. She moved like an expert, without a hint of doubt in herself or her own abilities. You had never known anything like it and it was almost as intoxicating as the feel of her tongue over your clit.

No one had eaten you out before and at first you were worried that she wouldn’t like the way you tasted. She had quickly picked up on your nervousness, though, sitting up to look at you and slipping a finger between your folds.

“You have such a cute little pussy, (Name),” she had said, choosing her words deliberately to turn your face a shocking red. “I can’t believe you get to sit on it all day.”

You had stumbled over your words at that, watching as she lowered herself back down and played you like a fiddle. Your body all but sang for her and you definitely made a lot of noise, trembling into her every touch without regard for how loud you were being.

And so, there you were, twitching and trembling on a stranger’s bed, watching as she got to her feet and discarded her own clothes. Her body was perfect and you drank all of it in, from the swell of her breasts to the downy hair between her thighs, wanting nothing more than to touch her. You wanted to make her feel as good as she had you, wanted to see how she looked when she fell apart with pleasure.

“Come here, kitten,” she said, guiding you back up onto your knees and lifting your dress up over your head and onto the floor.

“Let me look at you,” she purred, guiding you up the bed, “I want to see you.”

“I want...to see you too,” you said, to which she laughed and stuck out her tongue.

“I said it first,” she said, leaning over to kiss your lips before unhooking your bra.

It was the final barrier between you; the only stitch of clothing you had on. That knowledge left you nervous and you clapped a hand over your chest the moment you were even slightly exposed.

“What is it?” she asked, suddenly concerned.

“It’s...it’s nothing,” you said, though you didn’t uncover yourself either. “You’ll probably think it’s silly…”

She was so beautiful, there was no way she’d understand your conflicting emotions. You wanted so badly for her to see you fully nude, but at the same time feared she’d find you disappointing. How could she not?

“Tell me.”

“It’s just,” you laughed under your breath, “you’re so beautiful and I’m…”

You chewed your bottom lip, remembering what your boyfriend had said to you the day of the breakup. You were sweet, vanilla and boring . You weren’t sexy, you didn’t know how to seduce people and you were amazed you’d gotten this far without her noticing. What if she realised the second your clothes were off?

She frowned, sitting up beside you and stroking her fingers across your face.

“Fuck them,” she said, more than a little venom in her voice.

“What? Who?”

“Whoever it was who convinced you you weren’t enough.”

“I…”

You blushed, not knowing what to say to that.

“Fuck them,” she said again, leaning over to kiss your forehead and then your lips, “fuck whoever taught you to put yourself last.”

She kissed your jawline and then your throat, humming with satisfaction as you lowered the arm that covered your breasts and exposed yourself fully for the first time.

She trailed her lips over your collarbones and down towards your nipples, swirling her tongue over them.

“Fuck whoever let you believe you’re anything less than perfect,” she said, using one hand to cup your breast while she suckled at the other. You sighed into her touches, so gentle and yet they stirred a longing deep within you.

“N-Nemuri,” you said, reaching for her to move back and embrace you, sighing into her lips the second they collided with yours.

You wanted her so badly, wanted her in every sense it was possible to want somebody else. She was only too eager to accept your kisses, rolling over onto her back and allowing you to straddle her.

“Now there’s a good kitten,” she said, reaching up to stroke your cheek before you leaned in to kiss her again. She stroked her fingers over your thighs as you kissed her, hands roaming your body in delight. “You’re such a good kisser…”

“Really?”

“No need to be so modest,” she said, “I think you’ve earned a special treat.”

“Special...treat?”

You peered down into her face for any hint of what you’d earned. She’d already made you cum, what else could she have in store?

“That drawer over there,” she said, “go take a look.”

You turned to the drawer she pointed out, shooting her a look of intrigue before crawling over to it and sliding it open.

“The lube,” she said, sliding a hand over your ass, “and the vibrator. Grab them.”

Your stomach fluttered just at the idea of them; your hands shook when you actually touched them. You swallowed loudly, setting them down in the center of the bed and waiting to see what she did next.

She sat up and took hold of them, uncapping the lube and setting the vibrator to one side.

“Lie back, sweet thing,” she said, patting the closest pillow. “Let me take care of you.”

You obeyed, resting your head and watching as she crawled towards you, intertwining her legs with yours and shifting her weight until your sexes touched. You gasped at the sudden heated intensity, Nemuri sucking in a single heavy breath before dripping lube onto the spot where your bodies collided.

“That’s a good girl,” she said, setting aside the lube and grinding her hips against yours, sending shivers of pleasure ringing through your core.

You moaned at the sensation and Nemuri grinned, grinding herself faster and harder, holding tightly to your legs. You watched her arch her back to keep up the rhythm, breasts bouncing every time her hips hit yours.

“You’re beautiful,” you breathed, reaching up to touch her.

She laughed, tilting her head to one side and gathering her hair over one shoulder.

“Touch me,” she said, taking your hand and guiding it along her waist, your fingers exploring the soft flesh below her belly button. She linked her fingers in yours and ground faster, leaving both of you moaning at the sensation.

She reached for both the lube and the vibrator, giving it a thin coat before slipping it into your hand.

“Hold it right...there,” she said, guiding you to the spot where your clits touched. “Now...hold it straight.”

She switched it on and both of you gasped at the extra stimulation, grinding your hips against the source. Nemuri dug her nails into your legs, gasping as she crushed her clit against the vibrator, a mix of your combined juices and lube dribbling down from your thighs to the bedsheets.

It felt so good. You’d never known it could feel so good.

You sighed in pleasure as your insides turned to jelly. You could think of nothing but the shoskwaves rushing through your core and overpowering your senses. Your ex had never made you cum like this. He’d never tried and you’d never presumed to ask.

“(Name),” said Nemuri, “look at me.”

You gazed up at her, taking in the haze of lust that covered her face, the rise and fall of her chest as she caught her breath.

“You’re beautiful.”

Maybe it was because you were still caught between the buildup of a new orgasm and the freefall of the one before it.

Maybe it was the confidence in her voice, combined with the softness in her expression.

Maybe it was because she had no reason to lie to you.

Whatever it was, you smiled, eyes welling with tears.

You believed her.

___

SEVERAL MONTHS LATER

“Promise?”

Hizashi sighed, waving away Nemuri’s concerns with both hands.

“We promise,” he said. “She’s important to you, we get it.”

Shouta nodded next to him.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t say anything weird.”

Several months beforehand, Nemuri had come to work in an incredible mood. It had been a while since she’d been in a serious relationship, but something about this new girl was special. So special, in fact, that Nemuri had refused to introduce her or even show off any photos. Hizashi and Shouta (though mostly Hizashi) had had to settle for occasional anecdotes and the smallest slivers of information, leaving the rest to their imagination.

They knew you were a social worker, though didn’t know which company you worked for. They knew your first name, though not your last, rendering any attempts to find you on social media somewhat futile. They knew you drank far too much coffee than was healthy. They knew you had (H/C) hair from the ones you sometimes left on Nemuri’s clothes. They knew you weren’t a pro hero but you were a great cook.

Now that the new term was well underway, she’d finally caved and invited you to the izakaya to drink with them, albeit reluctantly. She was serious about you and convinced they’d say something embarrassing- something relatively innocent that would drive you away.

“What do you mean you’ll make sure I don’t say anything weird?” said Hizashi, more than a little offended. “You know just as many embarrassing stories about Nemuri as I do.”

“Sure,” Shouta shrugged, “but I’m not the one who overshares.”

Hizashi began to protest the point, only to fall silent as an incredibly nervous Nemuri got up to greet someone.

“You made it,” she said, reaching out to wrap her arms around you and planting a kiss on your lips. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry, I got caught up at the office.”

Nemuri took a step back, allowing you to step towards the booth and into Hizashi and Shouta’s field of vision. Hizashi’s jaw dropped and Shouta took a lengthy pause before sipping his beer, both examining you from head to toe.

They didn’t know what they’d expected, but it certainly wasn’t you.

“Pleased to finally meet you,” you said, giving them a polite bow. “I’m (Name). Nemuri’s told me so much about you both.”

“Take a seat,” said Nemuri, helping you into the booth and failing to hide her nerves. “I’ll get you something to drink!”

She left you alone with Hizashi and Shouta, though not before making hand signs behind your back.

Don’t ruin this for me.

“So,” you said, giving them both a polite smile. “Come here often?”

[ginnyweasleymybeloved]

heartbeat on the high line / fred weasley

unresolved angst for freddie because i felt like it <3

summary: fred broke your heart a long time ago and a walk through diagon alley brings up old memories for the both of you

word count: 2.9 k

warnings: post-war timeline, mentions of torture sort of?, mentions of being underweight because of said torture, fluff sort of if you squint?, angst, open ended, tiny mention of death, let me know if i missed anything!! <3

let me know what you think <3

this is based on the song “cardigan” by taylor swift but it’s not a song fic <3

Skies of dark grey released heavy sheets of rain onto the cobblestone streets below, the pitter-patter of the torrential downpour barely muted the sound of your high heels against the all too familiar stone street. A stark black umbrella held primly above your head shielded you from the typical English weather as you strutted through Diagon Alley.

Truthfully, you hadn’t planned on showing your face in the magical hotspot, not so soon after the war anyway. Years worth of memories haunted every twist and turn of the street you seemed to own in the moment, light grey stones darkened and slick from the rain completely devoid of any feet other than your own.

You recalled all of the significant moments, each bookmarked by a certain area of the various alleys. Flourish & Blotts; where you’d met your first love all those years ago, at the age of eleven you’d been so bright eyed and sure of the future, sure of him. In the distance you could make out the bright orange exterior of Weasleys’ Wizard wheezes; where you’d walked away from your first love, all those years later however not so long ago that the sight of his legacy, as vibrant and joy inducing as it always had been, didn’t elicit an uncomfortable pang to spring in your chest. As you progressed past Olivander’s, your lips quirked up ever so slightly as the aging paint of the shop expelled all misconceptions you had about the boy who still haunted all of your “What If?”s, the lightly rusting windows screaming at you as if to remind you that, actually, he hadn’t been your first love. Olivander’s Wand Shop had been the true site of your first love and you’d found that first taste of true, pure, untainted love in the form of your phoenix feather core, thirteen inch, English oak wand.

A wistful giggle left your lips, your feet unmoving, rain lashing down aggressively and sliding off the edges of your umbrella, creating streams of water that fell around you but never got close enough to you to so much as dampen your outfit. Losing yourself in the joy of recalling how happy you’d been upon being chosen by your fateful wand, you failed to notice the familiar frame who had made his way to the doorway of the shop. The creaking of the old door pulled you from your thoughts, a dazzlingly grin broke out on your face as Mr. Olivander himself leant against his propped open door, keeping himself dry inside the comfort of his warm shop.

A grin similar to yours adorned his lips as he called out rather loudly over the rain, “I do recall that smile getting you out of quite a bit of trouble, back in your Hogwarts days,” your smile only widened at his recollection.

“To this day it’s the secret to my success,” you beamed jokingly as Olivander shook his head and released a low chuckle. He had no doubt that you’d be going places, ever since the first moment he’d clapped eyes on you he knew you were destined for success, of course, it was also no wonder that bewitching smile of yours had helped you get there. Like your wand; you chose your company carefully, held nothing but passion for the things you craved, were fiercely determined and surprisingly flexible without breaking your morals.

“I also recall thinking you’d grow up to become one of the brightest witches this country had ever seen. It seems as though you proved me right, dear girl,” he spoke with such reverence that you almost wished to cower away from his gaze, however, you held your confident stance and let your smile melt into an adoring grin once more.

“Don’t act as though you had nothing to do with it, sir,” your voice carried through the wall of worsening rain between yourself and the older wizard, “If it hadn’t been for your encouragement during the war, I think I’d have simply given up in the cellar of Malfoy Manor,” it was a dark time, of course it was, it had been a war after all. You supposed, the love you held for your coveted wand extended to the man who had supplied it to you in the first place; Mr. Olivander, he was more than just the slightly daft wand shop owner, he had been- for longer than you cared to remember- your cellmate, the man who had slid you his rations from across the dungeon when you’d faded to nothing but skin on bones, the one who encouraged you to pursue your dreams of becoming a journalist with the hopes of shining light on issues far more important than the ones covered by that roach Rita Skeeter. He was a lot of things, but above all else, he was your friend.

“Now, now dear,” he chastised teasingly, the mischievous twinkle in his eyes as lively now as it had been on the day he was born, and, every day since, “You better be getting to Gringotts. Lots of galleons and sickles to collect I’m sure. Being the head of the Daily Prophet surely keeps those money bags heavy, eh?”

Your laugh echoed through the street one again, your lips which were painted black, supplied him with the very best smile you could possibly muster. “I suppose I should get going. Look after yourself.” Olivander shot you a wink before retreating back into his shop.

A familiar lamp caught your attention, the ghosts of your past passions rising as brutally as the rain fell. You could remember it, clear as day.

His laughter mingled with yours, the hearty belly laughs bellowing through the darkened street as the pair of you stumbled out of The Leaky Cauldron in the early hours of the morning, systems altered by the copious amounts of fire whiskey you’d managed to consume. His hand held yours in a tight grasp, he swung your interconnected arms childishly.

One second you’d been walking and the next he was twirling you around beneath the spotlight of the flickering post above you. Drunkenly, you’d spun your little heart out, spurred on by his slightly slurred, yet somehow sweet, singing. He admired you as you shimmied ahead of him, completely free, fresh out of school and not yet weighed down by the darkness that loomed in the distance. When your eyes caught his you shot him a smile, he knew it well, it was the smile, it shun like sequins when they caught light and he knew it was worth more than all of the gold in Gringotts. You beckoned him over to you with a finger, taking his hand when he got close enough you spun him around and laughed weightlessly.

The feeling of his hands gripping your waist would be imprinted on your skin for as long as you lived, you’d thought, charmed by the look in his brown eyes when you internally swore that you would’ve loved him for a lifetime.

What you didn’t know, as you shook off the phantom hands on your waist, was that he’d seen your eyes that night and despite his heavily intoxicated state, he noted your devotion and even now, when he’d lay awake and think of you; it was that look and that sequinned smile that haunted him. Just as the streets of Diagon Alley haunted you.

Thinking of the sequence of events that led you to walking away from the person you’d honestly believed to be your once in a lifetime, perhaps even your once in twenty lifetimes, or infinite lifetimes, did nothing but torment your already scarred heart. He was always hard to pin down, how could he not be? With a face like his and the world wrapped around his finger, he knew he didn’t have to settle for only one of each thing.

Chasing two girls excited him, at the time. All of the secret keeping, high stakes secret meet ups, illicit affairs and sensual politics had kept him energised. Until the novelty wore off and he was left with nothing but a side-piece whose favourite colour he hadn’t bothered to learn. But he’d known yours, he knew everything about you, he still did. He knew you, he remembered how you’d stared at him, eyes heavy with betrayal and filled to the brim with tears the day you’d confronted him, your bags already packed as you made it clear that; yes, you love him, but no, he couldn’t fix this. No matter how hard he’d fought to change the ending to your fairytale-esq love story, you’d slipped through his fingers like water.

Various knick knacks that had once been yours still lived in his flat, above the shop you’d encouraged him to open, back in school. For weeks, your scent lingered like a tattoo kiss on his skin, his clothes, his bedsheets, his everything as a constant reminder that he’d forced you away. He’d practically paid for your ticket for the last train out of London that day. He told himself that he was only seventeen; what on Earth did he truly know about love? And again he reasoned; he knew you.

Months before the war he swore time and time again that he’d seen your face amongst the busy, condensed crowds of Diagon Alley. On countless occasions he found himself chasing down strangers like a madman, hoping for nothing more than to catch even a glimpse of the woman who made his heart smile as beautifully as she herself did.

Chin tilted upwards as you passed his renowned joke shop, you walked with a sense of importance willing your feet not to stop, but you couldn’t deny the urge you had to check up on him.

The last time you’d seen him, the world around you had been in complete chaos. You’d only just been saved from the months of endless torture you were forced to endure. Nothing like now, you’d been frail and weak and hollow. But still, you’d saved his life. Without a word you’d saved him from being crushed, as if he had been just another person to save, as if he hadn’t shared the most intimate of moments with you, before rushing back off, back into the fray until the battle had been won. That was the last time he’d seen you in the flesh and he ached to see you again- so he could thank you, so he could tell you that he was grateful to be alive but his life wouldn’t be worth half as much if he never got to hold you in his arms again.

The rain smashed unyieldingly against the windows of the shop as he worked on the tills, the shop was unusually empty, nobody willing to do any sort of shopping on a day so miserable. With a bored sigh, he stared out the large window before him, only one woman walked the street, an umbrella struggling to fight off the rain. The raindrops that accumulated on the window blurred his view of the lady’s face but there was no amount of rain in the world that could hide your signature strut of defiance from him.

Quickly he scampered out from behind the counter, “George! Watch the counter!” He screeched, bombing it out the front door while George released a tired sigh, hoping his twin wasn’t regressing back to his chasing strangers phase.

As soon as he’d entered the open air, he was completely soaked to the bone. Your heels clacking like the countdown on a ticking time bomb as Fred stood frozen as few meters behind you. His hair sopping wet, his shirt sticking to his body and his face completely desperate as he called your name.

His heart was beating so aggressively that he was positive you could hear it from up the street. You’d stopped in your tracks upon hearing his voice, your stomach erupting with butterflies while simultaneously dropping in anticipation when you turned to face him.

“You’re here,” he stated dumbly, swallowing the lump in his throat as he took you in. As beautiful as you’d always been, he carefully inched towards you, you stayed rooted in your spot but let him advance on you. The phantom feeling of his strong hands on your waist clouded your judgment and made you long to have him come back to you.

You nodded your head, “I’m here.”

Fred nodded too, exhaling a deep breath now that he was sure he wasn’t imagining your presence as he had countless times before. Before either of you knew it, you were standing within arms length of each other, however, far too unsure to touch. The rain was roaring and Fred began to blink rapidly, the water hitting his eyes ruthlessly before you took a single step forward and saved him from the onslaught of droplets. You were close now, so close Fred could smell your perfume and see every detail of your face. The handle of your spacey umbrella rested in between the both of you, acting like a barrier so he wouldn’t tug you against his shaking form and hug the daylights out of you.

“You never let me say thank you,” he started, tears very quickly forming to mix with the raindrops that slid down his freckled face. “At the battle. If you hadn't been there, Y/n, I would’ve died.”

“Don’t say that,” you begged, you’d mulled the scenario of “what if I’d been too late?” over in your mind, more times than you were willing to admit, and the image of Fred cold and dead, despite how terribly he’d hurt you, made your gut wrench so violently that you thought you might be sick. “I was there. That’s all that matters.”

His brows furrowed and suddenly the hands on your waist weren’t that of a past ghost anymore, they were his; very real and in the moment. “Why didn’t you stay? After you saved me you just ran off, I couldn’t find you after it was over-“ his voice was so vulnerable, it cracked and hitched and you forced yourself to cut him off, your umbrella shaking in your hand.

“Because I didn’t want you to see me like that- the way I was after Harry got the others and I out of Malfoy’s,” you told him honestly, biting back tears as you offered him more elaboration while he shook his head in a frantic sort of disbelief, “I was weak and skeletal, I couldn’t face you. Not when I saw the way you looked at me.”

“I looked at you the same!” He exclaimed and you tugged your bottom lip between your teeth.

“Exactly, Fred! I was vulnerable and damaged beyond belief and even after everything- every screaming match, or slammed door or horrible words that we wish we could take back you still looked at me like I was your favourite thing!” You rambled, chest heaving painfully as you tried, uselessly, to keep your building tears at bay. Fred didn’t waste a second before he was pulling the umbrella from you and tossing the thing, that had become more of a hindrance than a help, away from you before he cupped your cheeks urgently.

Rain enveloped the both of you and Fred knew he shouldn’t have been thinking it, but merlin, you seemed to glow in the rain and he acknowledged the fact he’d been aware of all along; you were truly an angel.

“Because you were! You are,” his voice was dripping with honest desperation, “I might not have known anything else back then but I knew I missed you, I knew that hurting you would be the worst thing I ever did and when I saw you that day I knew I still loved you and my life wasn’t worth living if it wasn’t spent with you!” You were at a loss for words at his shouted, emotionally charged confession. His eyes searched yours for the look that haunted him, the promise to love him forever that was hidden beneath your irises and after the next words slipped from his lips, he thought that maybe he’d uncovered it.

“I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make things up to you. You’re quite literally the only reason my heart is beating and I’d sooner actually die than let you go one more second thinking that you aren’t the greatest thing that has ever happened to me in my stupid, idiotic life.”